Grad Night
by RobzBeanie
Summary: One last high school event changes Bella's life in ways she never imagined. ** BANDWARD CONTEST ENTRY **
1. Wild Waves

**Bandward Contest**

**Title:** Grad Night

**Pen name:** RobzBeanie

**Pairing:** Edward and Bella

**Genre:** Angst / Romance

**Summary: **One last high school event changes Bella's life in ways she never imagined.

**Disclaimer:** The author does not own any of the publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

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><p>"Please, Dad," I beg, clasping my hands together in front of me. I'm used to Charlie's overprotectiveness by now, but one day he's going to have to accept that I'm 18 years old. I'm an adult; I'll even be a high school graduate in another three weeks.<p>

"I don't know, Bells. It's over three hours away."

"It's not like I'll be driving," I growl, trying hard not to roll my eyes. "We're taking a bus. And I'll be going a lot further away than three hours when I go to college."

I cringe internally as soon as the words are out of my mouth. My dad and I have had many conversations — more like arguments — in the last six months about my decision to accept the offer of a full scholarship to the University of Illinois in Chicago. The last thing I need to do is remind him of that right now.

"Who else is going?"

"Most of the senior class. Angela will be there," I point out. Dad loves my best friend, Angela Weber, given that her father is the reverend here in the tiny town of Forks, Washington. "And at least a dozen chaperones."

He strokes his moustache and I try to remain quiet, my face impassive.

"All right," he sighs. "You can go."

"Thanks, Dad," I cry, hugging him quickly before rushing upstairs to my room. I pull my phone out of my pocket, texting Angela to let her know that he said yes.

I can't believe I was able to convince him. I can't believe I'm going to see Edward Masen in the flesh.

~*~*GN*~*~

Two weeks later, I stand staring into my closet, trying to figure out what to wear. All of my clothes are so… lame. I've never been interested in wearing tight clothes that show off what few curves I have — not that Dad would let me out of the house in anything like that anyway.

But tonight I need to look extra special.

Along with most high schools within driving distance, Forks High School has been invited to participate in a Grad Night celebration at Wild Waves theme park, near Tacoma. The park will be open exclusively for graduating high school seniors from 6pm through 6am.

I haven't been to Wild Waves in years, since back when it was still owned by Six Flags. I can still remember visiting the park for the last time with both of my parents, shortly before my eighth birthday. I had finally reached four foot tall — the minimum height for most of the thrill rides.

A stray tear slides down my face and I brush it away angrily. There's no use dwelling on the past. My life is what it is.

I _am_ excited to visit the amusement park again, but what I'm really looking forward to is the midnight concert by my very favorite band: The New Moons.

Started by lead guitarist Jasper Whitlock and drummer Emmett Cullen when they met in college, the band also consists of bass guitarist Riley Biers, lead singer Seth Clearwater, and the youngest member of the group, Emmett's step-brother, Edward Masen.

I smile to myself, like I do every single time I think of Edward. Only 21 years old and he's the heart and soul of the group, playing keyboards and writing all of the band's music. The New Moons were just a cover band until Emmett's father, Carlisle, married Edward's mother, Esme, and Emmett learned that his new step-brother could write music.

And wow can he write. Edward is a classically trained pianist and everything he composes has an instantly memorable melody. But more than that, his lyrics touch something inside of me. He's a poet, a freakin' poet.

Now on their second album, The New Moons have only had minor success on the pop charts, but they're known as a must-see live act among the college set. They've played Seattle before, but there was no way my overprotective father would have ever let me drive to Seattle for a concert.

He thinks tonight is all about riding a few roller coasters. What he doesn't know won't hurt him.

I check the time on my phone and I know I have to hurry it up. We're meeting in the school parking lot at four o'clock for the bus trip to Wild Waves.

I hurriedly pull out my nicest pair of skinny jeans and a dark green henley-style shirt. After running a brush through my hair and spraying some perfume, I slip into my Chucks, since I'll be walking quite a bit around the park. Downstairs, I grab a jacket — I'll be outside all night — then slip my phone and a few bills into my pocket.

Angela is already waiting with the rest of our class when I pull my ancient pick-up truck into my usual spot in the parking lot. I jump out, almost running as I join the group of students and chaperones.

"Bella!" she yells when I reach her. "I thought maybe your dad changed his mind and wasn't gonna let you go."

"He's not home. I just couldn't decide what to wear. I mean, I'm going to see Edward!"

Angela smiles. "I wonder if he knows his biggest fan will be there tonight."

I shove her arm. "I know we probably won't get within 20 feet of him, but just in case, you know?"

The chaperones check any purses or backpacks, making sure no one is trying to sneak in any alcohol, then hand each of us a box with a sandwich, a bag of chips and a can of pop, since we'll be driving through dinnertime.

"I call dibs on the window seat," I tell Angela, looking back at her over my shoulder as I step up onto the bus.

She sticks her tongue out at me. "Fine, then I get the window on the way home."

~*~*GN*~*~

"If I hear one more rendition of _99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall_, I'm going to scream," Angela growls when the bus finally pulls in to the parking lot of Wild Waves a little after 7:30pm.

"No kidding." I shake my head.

As we file off the bus, we are each handed a Grad Night "diploma" and told in no uncertain terms that we must meet at the front gates by 5:45am for the bus ride home. I roll up my diploma, tucking it into the pocket of my jacket.

"What do you want to ride first?" Angela asks, practically bouncing on her feet. Every time she visits Wild Waves with her family, she gets stuck taking her younger twin brothers on all of the Kiddie Land rides and never gets to go on anything good.

"We have all night," I chuckle. "Let's just find the closest one and go from there."

Angela leads us off along the left side of a small lake until we reach Celebration Square. All of the carnival-style games are in this area, and I resist the urge to laugh at the teenage boys trying to win huge stuffed animals for their girlfriends.

"Look!" I yell when I spot The Wild Thing roller coaster. I remember this one from my last visit to the park. It was my first ever coaster and as such, holds a special place in my heart. Angela agrees to ride this one first and we join the line.

The theme park area of Wild Waves isn't all that large, and within a few hours, we've pretty much ridden everything in the park, given the fact that the lines are all pretty short with only high school seniors here.

"Want to ride Timberhawk again?" Angela asks, motioning toward the park's only wooden roller coaster.

I glance at the time on my phone — quarter after ten. "Maybe we should get in line for the concert. I want to be close enough to see how green Edward's eyes really are."

Angela rolls her eyes, but she agrees, following me back to Celebration Square, where the concert will take place. "Oh my God," I yelp, running toward the theater when I see how few people are already waiting. We should be able to get close to the stage, especially since I want to be on the side — where the keyboard is — instead of the more popular location in the center.

As we wait, Angela and I chat with the girls on either side of us. I'm thrilled to hear that they're mostly crushing on Riley or Jasper and not Edward.

Just before midnight, the security guards let us in and we rush toward where the keyboard is set up on the right side of the stage, finding ourselves literally in the front row. I try to keep calm, feeling like my heart is going to burst out of my chest.

Someone from the park walks up to the microphone to the sound of deafening screams. He announces the band and the screaming gets even louder as the five guys take the stage.

"What's up?" Seth yells as Emmett's drums start off the first song.

My eyes are immediately trained on Edward, whose head is down as he focuses on the notes he's playing on his keyboard. He's wearing dark wash jeans and a tight white t-shirt with some sort of photo on the front, totally showing off his toned and tattooed arms. His reddish brown hair is a wild mess on top of his head, just as it always seems to be; it's become his trademark.

I think I might faint when he glances up, winking at me. Well, winking in my direction anyway; I'd like to think it's directed at me.

For the next 90 minutes, I dance and sing along with the words to every single song. I'm probably going to be hoarse for days. I pull out my phone between songs, trying to take photos of Edward. He's just so unbelievably gorgeous. It should be illegal for a boy to be that pretty.

As the last few chords die away, the band members step to the front of the stage, taking a bow to thunderous applause. Emmett tosses his drumsticks into the crowd and they all wave as they leave the stage.

I barely resist the urge to call out, "I love you, Edward!"

"Oh my God, that was ah-ma-zing," Angela gushes as we follow the crowd out of the small theater.

"It really was," I agree, coughing a little. "Want to get a drink?"

We walk up to the nearest food kiosk and buy two bottles of water, then take a much needed breather, sitting on a bench while we down our drinks.

"What's all the excitement over there?" Angela asks suddenly, and I look up toward where a crowd of people is gathering.

"Let's go check it out." We stand up, walking over to the crowd. "What's going on?" I ask the nearest girl as we reach the group.

"Someone said The New Moons are going to come out to sign autographs!" she replies excitedly.

My eyes widen as I look over at Angela. Holy shit, I could _meet_ Edward? That's more than I've ever dreamed of.

About ten minutes later, Seth appears, a towel still around his neck. Sharpie in hand, he begins signing his name to whatever is thrust in front of his face. As he nears us, we pull out our Grad Night diplomas. "Hi," I breathe as he smiles at the two of us and signs his name.

Angela squeals as Seth moves away — he always was her favorite. He's just finishing up when Riley comes out, quickly followed by Jasper. I get both of their signatures, my heart starting to pound madly as I realize Edward could be next.

And he is. "Oh my God," I squeal, turning to Angela.

"You should try to get a picture with him," she suggests.

"Oh! Yeah, great idea." I pull my phone out of my pocket, my hand shaking as he gets closer and closer. "I think I might puke," I mutter under my breath.

"Hello, ladies," Edward greets us with his velvet voice. Oh. My. God. He's even better looking up close… his two-day scruff of beard is so sexy. And my God, he's tall.

I swallow thickly, unable to do anything but hold out my diploma. He signs his name for me and then moves to Angela.

"Wait!" I call as he starts to turn away. "C-can I have a photo?"

"Sure," he smiles. I hand Angela my phone and step closer to Edward. He puts his bare arm around my shoulders and it's all I can do to stay on my feet. His body feels so hard and so warm pressed up against mine. He smells like a combination of sweat and something masculine that I can't quite put my finger on — but it's a _good_ smell, nothing like the guys at school by the end of gym class.

Angela snaps a photo, then looks down at the screen. "Let me take another one," she offers. I feel Edward's fingers squeeze my shoulder as I try to give her my best smile. "Ok," she nods, giving us the thumbs up.

Edward pulls his arm away and I feel the loss immediately. "Thank you," I manage to say, reluctantly stepping back toward Angela.

"My pleasure." He winks, moving on to the next group of girls. And I swoon.

After we've got Emmett's autograph, Angela and I move back to our bench and I get my first chance to look at the photos of Edward and me.

"The first one was fine… why did you need to take a second?" I ask as I flip through them.

"I just thought you might want more time with Edward's arm around you," she replies with a grin.

"Ang, you're a genius!" I stare at the second photo, at the twinkle in Edward's eye, and for just a moment, I allow myself to imagine that I'm the one who put it there.

"I can't believe we actually met them," she says dreamily.

"It's so surreal," I agree. "This is the best day of my life."

We decide to go on some of our favorite rides again, but Angela needs to stop by the bathroom first. As I wait outside for her, leaning against the concrete wall, I close my eyes and let my mind go back over every moment of my interaction with Edward.

"Hi," a male voice says. I open my eyes, really glad for the wall behind me when I see Edward standing in front of me, still wearing his stage clothes.

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><p><strong>AN:** Thanks to moosals for her pre-reading and beta work as usual! And also thanks to Rose (CozItRunsInMyBlood) for pre-reading and helping me to up the drama level, even if I didn't win anything in the Bandward contest.

Daily posts starting Sunday until the entire contest one-shot is posted, then we switch to twice-weekly updates. I've pre-written up to 95,000 words and it's not done yet.

On May 27, 1988, I attended the Fourth Annual Grad Night at Geauga Lake amusement park in Aurora, Ohio. I saw a midnight concert by the Canadian band Glass Tiger, then the band members came out afterward to sign autographs. All I got besides the autographs was a hug from Sam, their cute keyboard player, though.


	2. Edward

**Author Note:** Thank you for the great response to the first chapter! My email was going crazy all day yesterday with new Favorites and Follows.

Thanks again to moosals and CozItRunsInMyBlood for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

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><p><em>Chapter 2 — Edward<em>

"Hi," I manage to squeak out.

"You know, it's a little unfair that you know my name and I don't know yours." He raises an eyebrow, looking at me expectantly.

"Um, I'm Bella." _God, Bella, could you sound any more stupid?_

"A pretty name for a pretty girl," he says, reaching out and trailing one finger down my cheek. "So, do you know where all the cool rides are?"

"Um, what?" I'm still reeling from the fact that he _touched_ me.

"I've never been here before, so I was hoping you'd come with me, show me where the best rides are."

"Come with you?" I repeat dumbly. I mean, what?

"Yeah," he smiles, stepping closer to me. "Unless you don't want to?"

I stare up at Edward in shock. Of course I _want_ to, but I'm afraid of making a fool of myself. I have no idea how to act with guys. I don't think I've been alone with a boy since like… sixth grade. I wasn't allowed to date until I turned 18, and even then, no one would ask me out. I hope they're just too afraid of my father coming after them with a shotgun and it's not _me_.

"Umm… my friend…" I hedge.

Just then, Angela steps out of the restroom, her eyes practically bugging out of her head when she sees the two of us standing just a foot apart.

Edward glances over toward her, smiling. "I'm sure your friend could find someone else to hang out with for a few hours so you could hang with me?"

"Sure," Angela replies, nodding her head furiously. "I see Jessica, Mike and Eric over there by the games."

I bite my lip, looking up at Edward. "You heard her," he says with a wink.

I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Um, ok, I'd love to hang out with you," I answer him honestly. Even if I'm scared shitless.

"Have fun, Bella!" Angela scurries away before I can change my mind.

"Where to first?" Edward waggles his thick eyebrows and I timidly point toward Ring of Fire. He takes my hand, pulling me away from the wall.

He's still holding my hand when we reach the back of the line. I look up at him and he smiles down at me.

"Why me?" I ask quietly.

"Why you, what?" he repeats, brow furrowed.

"Why did you ask _me_ to go on the rides with you?"

"Why _not_ you?" he shrugs. I want to say, because no one in my own school has ever looked twice at me, but I don't. Maybe I should stop questioning it and just enjoy myself.

After Ring of Fire, we move to Disk'O Flashback. "Are you from Seattle, Bella?" Edward asks out of the blue as we wait in the short line.

I hesitate for a moment, then shake my head. "I'm from Forks. It's a small town on the Olympic Peninsula."

"And you're a senior?"

"Yeah, I graduate next weekend," I reply with a smile.

Making our way through the trees toward Timberhawk, we stop at a few different spinning rides. As we spin until we're dizzy, I find myself pressed tightly against Edward's body, breathing in his scent. I'm quickly becoming addicted to both.

Timberhawk has a longer line than the other rides in the park. Edward pulls me to stand in front of him, then wraps his arms around my waist, resting his chin on top of my head. I stiffen at first, wondering what he's doing, then will myself to relax. I close my eyes, leaning my head back against his warm chest. I think I could die happy.

"Time to move," he whispers in my ear, and I feel myself breaking out in goosebumps.

When we reach the front of the line, he motions for me to go first, then climbs in beside me. The car pulls out of the station and he holds my hand as we go up the first hill.

"Are you scared?" he asks in a teasing voice.

"Nah, I rode it earlier," I tell him with a laugh. I still scream as we fall over the top of the hill though.

"Woo!" he yells as we climb out of our seats a couple of minutes later. "That was awesome!"

I laugh, smiling at how his face lights up. He looks like a carefree teenager instead of a rock star.

"This ride wasn't here the last time I visited the park," I explain. "I went on it for the first time earlier tonight."

"So that's why you screamed like a girl," he replies with a wink.

"I _am_ a girl," I chuckle.

Edward leers, looking me up and down while he licks his lips. "Yes, you certainly are."

I shake my head, feeling myself blushing under his gaze and his flirty words. _Don't let yourself get caught up, Bella._

We make our way back through Old West Territory hand in hand. "Is there a Ferris wheel?" Edward asks, squeezing my hand.

"Yeah, it's over in Kiddie Land, not far from where we started."

"Let's go," he smiles enthusiastically. I don't have the heart to tell him that it's actually a pretty small Ferris wheel.

"There," I point it out and he tugs my hand, pulling me over to the line.

Once we're settled inside the car, it moves just a little bit, before stopping so that more riders can get on and off. Edward scoots closer to me, putting his arm around my shoulders. I look up at him and he smiles, trailing one finger down my cheek.

"You're so different," he whispers.

"Different?"

He nods. "From most girls."

"Oh," I frown. "Is that a bad thing?"

Before he can answer, the car lurches as we move a little more, until we stop almost on top. "It's a very good thing," he whispers. He places two fingers on my chin, pulling me toward him as he leans in.

"What—"

I'm cut off by his lips touching mine. I'm so startled that I don't respond, but his lips are insistent. Slowly, I begin to move my mouth under his, but we break apart as the car starts moving again in earnest.

As we make rotation after rotation, all I can think is… Edward Freakin' Masen just gave me my first kiss!

After we exit the ride, he puts his arm around me again, smiling down at me. We walk like that through Kiddie Land, until we reach Northwest Territory, at the far end of the park. After riding Klondike Gold Rusher, Edward talks me into Timber Axe, which I'd chickened out on earlier with Angela.

I'm nearly hoarse from screaming by the time the ride finally stops.

"How about that one next?" he suggests, pointing toward Lumberjack Falls.

"A water ride?" I wrinkle my nose. The temperature has dropped considerably since we first got to the park and I don't want to get all wet.

"Sure, it'll be fun," he insists. "You never really get all that wet on those things."

"I don't know, Edward…" Still, I let him take my hand and lead me to it. I'm still feeling some trepidation as we climb into the boat, but he looks so excited — how can I say no to him?

The boat ride starts out leisurely, then we go up a fairly steep hill. At the top, we go around a couple of turns, and maybe it's just me, but we seem to be a lot higher up than it had looked from the ground.

Edward wraps his arms around me from behind as we near the edge. "Oh shit!" I yell, holding tightly to the edges of the boat. We go speeding down the hill and as we reach the bottom, I start to sigh in relief that we hardly got splashed.

And then a secondary splash erupts, pretty much drenching us. After the shock has worn off, I sweep my wet hair out of my eyes, turning around to see that Edward is just as wet as I am.

"Uh… that wasn't supposed to happen," he shrugs, looking sheepish.

I climb out of the boat, staring down at my soaking wet jeans. Wet denim is just _not_ comfortable. At least my jacket pretty much kept my top half dry.

Once I'm through appraising myself, my eyes widen as I take in the sight that is Edward Masen. His white t-shirt is now see-through, and I can see there's more ink on his chest.

"Fuck, you're gonna freeze to death," he says. "Come on."

We walk hurriedly back through Kiddie Land toward the Ferris wheel, then Edward turns right as we reach the end of The Wild Thing's track.

"Where are we going?" I ask, trying to keep up with his long strides.

"Our tour bus is parked right out here." We pass through a gate to a small parking area where I see a couple of large buses.

Edward pulls a key card out of his back pocket, opening the door to one of them and urging me up the steps.

When he darts off and leaves me standing there, I stare in awe at the stylish, black leather bench seats on either side of the bus and the flat screen TV on the wall. Removing my wet jacket, I spread it out on one of the seats to dry. When Edward comes back with two fluffy towels, I take one gratefully and dry my hair. He does the same, then pulls his soaked t-shirt over his head.

Oh. My. God. Edward shirtless is just… there are no words. He brushes the towel over his chest, then sets it next to my jacket as he toes his shoes off.

"What are you doing?" I squeak out when he begins undoing the fly of his jeans.

"My jeans are wet," he replies with a duh expression as he begins to peel them down his legs.

"Oh my God," I shriek, turning around. I squeeze my eyes closed to the sound of Edward's laughter.

"I'm wearing underwear."

I open my eyes, peeking over my shoulder. Sure enough, he's wearing dark-colored boxer briefs. I try not to stare at them as he dries his legs.

"Could you put some pants on?"

Rolling his eyes, he nods, turning to walk away. I stare unabashedly at the way his backside looks in his tight underwear. When he reappears 30 seconds later, he's wearing navy blue track pants, and holding another pair in his hands.

"These are for you to put on," he says, holding them out to me. "We have a small dryer on the bus, so I can dry your jeans."

I take the pants from him, hesitating. "Um…"

"There's a bathroom in there," he says, pointing behind him. Nodding, I walk toward the tiny bathroom and close the door. It's a struggle to remove my soaking wet skinny jeans, but I manage. I run the towel over my legs, then slide the track pants on, having to roll down the waistband a couple of times so they don't fall down.

I step out of the bathroom, handing my jeans, socks and Chucks to Edward. His eyes seem to darken a little as he looks me up and down. Suddenly, he shakes his head, picking up his own wet clothes and heading toward the back of the bus.

I hear the clothes dryer start, and then Edward comes back, still shirtless, and reaches into what looks like a mini fridge. He pulls out a bottle of beer and waves it toward me.

"Um… I'm not old enough to drink."

"Who am I going to tell?" he scoffs, twisting the top off. I reluctantly take the beer from his hand, then he pulls out another and closes the door.

He motions with a tilt of his head for me to follow him, and I do. I think I'd follow him anywhere.

"This is mine," he says, pointing to the upper bunk on one side of the bus. Two identical bunks are across the aisle.

"Aren't there five of you?"

He takes a long drink of his beer before answering. "Emmett's fiancée, Rose, comes with us a lot of the time, so they have the tiny bedroom in the very back of the bus."

Edward climbs up a small ladder then makes himself comfortable on the bed. There's barely enough room for him to sit up and not bump his head on the ceiling. I stand there awkwardly until he pats the spot on the mattress next to him.

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><p><strong>AN:** Regular readers may be accustomed to me writing chapters that are complete thoughts or scenes. This story is different, if you haven't noticed already! The good news is, with updates at least twice a week, you'll never have to wait long for any cliffhangers to be resolved.

I've seen Wild Waves right off the interstate, never been there. After I sent this in for the contest and we were looking for photos for the banner, I saw that Lumberjack Falls actually has large boats that seat about four people across, not the log flume type of ride I was picturing where riders sit straddling a padded bench, one in front of the other. Call it artistic license then that Edward could have his arms around her from behind and Bella could reach the sides of the boat. ;)

Tell me what you're thinking of Bandward so far!


	3. Tour Bus

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! Most readers seem to like Bandward so far, though you're all worried that he may be a player and that Bella has gotten in over her head.

Thanks again to moosals and CozItRunsInMyBlood for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

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><p><em>Chapter 3 — Tour Bus<em>

Swallowing thickly, I climb the ladder and sit on the edge of the bed, my legs hanging off, then take another small sip of my beer. I've only had beer once or twice before, when I managed to sneak out to a couple of high school parties by telling my dad I was spending the night with Angela. I don't really like the taste.

Edward must be thirsty, as he downs his beer quickly before leaning over to toss his empty bottle onto the mattress below. He then scoots behind me and puts his large hands on my shoulders. "Relax," he says quietly as he begins kneading them.

After a couple of minutes, he moves all of my long hair forward over my left shoulder. He places a light kiss on the place where my neck meets my right shoulder and I nearly drop my beer. "Shhh…"

I feel the scratch of his beard as he trails soft kisses up the side of my neck, then sucks my earlobe into his mouth. Oh my God, I've never felt anything like this before. I have to grasp the sheets with my free hand to keep from grabbing Edward.

He gently takes the bottle from my hand, finishes what's left, then tosses it down below us. Placing one hand on the back of my neck, he pulls my lips to his. This time I eagerly return his soft kisses, though I'm startled when his tongue comes out to play, asking for entry. I open for him, shocked at the feeling of his tongue in my mouth. I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but it's obvious that Edward has done this before and knows very well what he's doing.

Suddenly he breaks away, pulling on my hand as he lies back on the bed. I let myself follow him until I'm sprawled between his thighs, my arms bracing myself on either side of his torso. I look down at him and can hardly believe this is happening.

Edward Masen has got to be the most gorgeous boy who's ever lived. From his messy hair to his green, green eyes to his pouty red lips… then lower to his toned chest covered in swirls of ink. And is that… he has his nipple pierced?!

_Good God!_

"You can touch me," he says in a husky voice. I stare into his eyes and he nods encouragingly.

Tentatively I reach out, tracing what look like some kind of Asian characters running down his side.

"My name written in Chinese," he says before I can ask.

I touch the figure on his left bicep, raising an eyebrow when I realize it's Wonder Woman. "For my mom," he answers quietly. I duck my head for a moment, thinking of my own mother.

Forcing myself to stay in the moment, I trace the image on his right arm. This one I can't quite figure out. "What does it mean?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," he replies with a playful grin.

I skim my fingers across his chest, hesitating when I reach the nipple ring. Will it hurt him if I touch it? I brush one finger lightly against the ring and he hisses. I pull my hand back immediately with a whispered, "Sorry."

"Do it again," he breathes, sounding like he's begging.

I flick it a little with one finger and the next thing I know, he's crashing his mouth to mine. We trade kisses, his hands brushing up and down my back, until I feel almost dizzy. I can't imagine that any other boy could be a better kisser than Edward.

I'm startled when his hands slide under the bottom of my shirt, now caressing my bare back. It feels so good when he touches me, like I'm going to combust.

Edward breaks away from my swollen lips for a moment, staring at me like he's asking permission for something. I have no idea what he wants until I feel him pushing up the fabric of my shirt. I love the way he touches me, so I sit up a little and raise my arms so that he can pull my shirt over my head.

His hands immediately move to hold my breasts, over my plain white bra. "Come here," he orders and I bend forward again, letting him kiss me. He rolls me onto my back, still kissing me as he settles between my legs. His right hand brushes up and down my torso then slides underneath me.

"Edward—" I cry out when I realize he's unsnapped my bra.

"I promise you'll like this," he assures me, pulling the straps down my arms. I feel like I should stop him, but then his lips attach themselves to my left nipple, and oh God…

He really, really knows what he's doing. He licks and sucks and teases both nipples, and I feel this tingling, this _want_, between my legs.

One of his hands slides down over the track pants I'm wearing until he's cupping me. He smiles up at me, then begins sliding the borrowed pants down.

_Danger! Danger!_

"What are you doing?" I ask breathlessly.

"I just want to make you feel good," he promises. The rational part of my brain knows I should stop him, but I let him take them off anyway. It takes a moment for me to realize he's also grabbed my underwear along with the track pants. I'm breathing heavily — partly with fear — by the time I'm lying naked in front of him on the tiny bed.

Staring me in the eye, he strokes one finger along where I'm needy for him. It slides easily and I realize that I'm wet for him. I've read about it in books, but never…

"Open for me," he says quietly, trying to spread my legs. I'm beyond embarrassed, but I do it, because I really, really like the way his finger feels. I tense a little as he suddenly pushes it into me, then moves it in and out very slowly.

"Feel good?" he asks, coming back to circle my clit over and over. I nod and he smiles a beautiful smile.

Sliding his finger back inside, he bends forward, staring into my widened eyes as his tongue flicks out to touch me. "Oh God," I moan. He looks up and smiles, then does it again and again, while his finger never stops moving inside me.

Suddenly, he puts his mouth over me and sucks, and I shatter, crying out from the most intense pleasure I've ever felt. Edward pulls his mouth away, licking his lips as he beams.

"Told you," he says proudly.

And then he scrambles to sit up, grasping the edge of his pants and pushing them down. My eyes widen even further as his cock bounces up, hitting his stomach. Oh my God, it's huge… not that I have anything to compare it to.

He strokes himself a couple of times and the sight is so much hotter than I'd ever expected it to be. Stretching out on top of me, his cock brushes between my legs and I jump a little.

"Touch me," he pleads, taking my right hand and bringing it down to wrap around his hard cock. I'm not sure what I'd expected it to feel like, but not _that_. I stroke up and down a few times, just like he was doing, emboldened by the look of pleasure on his face.

Me… _I'm_ making him feel like that — the Bella who's usually invisible to the opposite sex.

Some part of me understands that Edward is just using me; he doesn't really care about me — he doesn't know me. But he chose _me_ instead of one of the other dozens of girls waiting outside the theater for his autograph.

As he stretches out on top of me again and the head of his cock is pressed up against me, I know this doesn't mean anything to him besides sex. But to me, it's validation that someone _does_ find me attractive. It's a chance to not be so inexperienced when I get to college and when I hopefully meet my soul mate one day.

_It's a chance to lose my virginity to Edward Freakin' Masen._

He kisses me gently, first my lips, then across my jaw until he begins sucking on my neck as I feel his cock pushing inside me. I try not to wince audibly as it feels a little like I'm being torn in two. I bring my hands up, hugging him to me and digging my nails in, trying not to show how much this hurts.

"Fuck," he whispers in a strained voice.

And just when I feel like he can't possibly go in any further, he stops, sliding his lips back to my mouth. Just as slowly, he pulls back out and when he pushes in again, it doesn't hurt like it did the first time. Or maybe I've just gotten used to it.

As he pumps into me gently, his right hand squeezes my breast, then slides down to my hip. He lifts my left leg a little bit to wrap around him and oh God, I think he slides in even deeper.

"Feels so good, Bella," he whispers, dropping sweet kisses onto my lips. "Fuck, I just knew you'd feel like this."

Edward pulls back a little, taking my nipple into his mouth again. He's moving faster now and it's actually starting to feel pretty good. I can't help moaning when he hits some spot inside me.

He tugs my other leg around his waist, kissing my lips over and over again as he really starts moving, until he's panting so hard that he can't kiss me anymore.

"Fuck… shit… gonna come. You feel too fucking good," he groans.

And then he freezes, a look of extreme pleasure on his beautiful face. "Fuuuuuccckkk!"

Breathing heavily, he flops onto his back next to me, one hand reaching up to lazily scratch his stomach. I can still feel the heat from his body as I lie there almost in a daze… I just had sex. I just had sex _with Edward Masen_.

After a minute or two, the dryer buzzes, startling both of us. Edward sits up, brushes his sweaty hair back with one hand then hops down from the bed. My eyes are drawn to the V of his hip bones leading down to his cock, now soft but still pretty damn impressive as it hangs between his legs.

"I'll be right back." When he returns, he's holding our now-dry clothes. He sets them on the edge of the bed, then steps into his underwear.

My brow furrows when I notice the sun peeking through the windows of the bus. "Edward, what time is it?" I ask, panicked.

He steps back to the main gathering area of the bus to retrieve his phone. "It's 5:26," he announces. "Why?"

_Shit!_ "I have to meet our bus back at the main entrance by 5:45 or they'll leave without me!"

I sit up quickly, looking around for my panties until Edward hands them to me. I put my arms into my bra straps and Edward surprises me by hooking it behind my back for me. "Um, thanks," I tell him shyly, sliding my shirt over my head. I reach for my warm jeans as I jump down.

Once I've got my jacket and shoes on, I glance at Edward, who's now put his own jeans back on. "Want me to walk you to the bus?" he asks.

"Uhhh… maybe you'd better not?" Shit, the last thing I need is for one of my classmates to tell one of their parents… who then tells Charlie.

"Ok," he shrugs.

I put my hand on the doorknob, then look back at Edward, wondering how to say goodbye. He stalks over to me, lifts my chin and places a sweet kiss on my lips. He trails one finger down my cheek again, then smiles as he steps back. "Guess you'd better go."

"Yeah," I breathe. "Um, bye."

Climbing down the steps, I head back in the direction of the gate. Luckily, the same person who was there earlier is still there and lets me back in. I start walking as quickly as I can past The Wild Thing and then past the water park area of Wild Waves next to the lake.

When I see a restroom, I check the time on my phone; I still have six minutes. I dart inside to use the bathroom, where I notice a little bit of blood on my panties. Standing in front of the mirror, I brush my fingers through my hair until it's somewhat tamed. I need to look presentable enough so that Angela doesn't suspect anything.

"There you are!" she yells when I come rushing through the main entrance. "I thought maybe Edward kidnapped you," she adds with a wink.

"Angela, shhh!"

"You'd better tell me everything."

"Not on the bus where the others could overhear," I protest. I'm not really sure right now if I even _want_ to tell Angela everything. Would she even believe me?

After roll call, we get back onto the bus. Angela and I settle in to our seats and I exhale heavily. Now that I'm sitting down, I'm exhausted. And there's a strange ache between my legs that I've never felt before. Angela has the window seat this time, so I lean my head against the back of the seat and close my eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Not as much of a cliffie this time, just a natural break.

So… a lemon in Chapter 3, but the rest of the story could be considered a slow burn. Please don't be expecting lemons in every chapter. Go read "Inside Out" if you want that, heh.

What are we thinking of Bandward _now_? Was he just using her, as Bella thinks?


	4. Aftermath

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! Most readers seem to think that Bandward was using her, but some also recognize Bella's role in this mess.

Thanks again to moosals and CozItRunsInMyBlood for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 4 — Aftermath<em>

It feels like just minutes later when we pull into the parking lot at Forks High. Stepping off the bus, I say goodbye to Angela then haul myself into my truck.

Dad isn't home when I arrive, but he's left me a note that says he'll be back by dinner. I climb the stairs, undress and crawl into bed, still exhausted.

When I wake up, the clock says it's just after three. I feel kind of gross so I grab some fresh clothes and head for the bathroom. Looking at the dried mess on my panties, it suddenly hits me — Edward didn't use a condom!

I take a hot shower, scrubbing myself thoroughly. How long is too long for his… stuff… to be in me, for any sperm to have had a chance to do their thing?

No! I can't think like that. I can't. What are the chances that a girl can get pregnant from having unprotected sex _once_? They can't be high… right?

Once I'm dressed, I head back to my room, locking the door behind me. I boot up my laptop, Googling for the information I need. It takes a couple of websites to find my answer: 3-5% chance of getting pregnant from a single sexual encounter.

That's not _too_ high, but it's not exactly no chance.

Feeling my heartbeat pick up, I Google for information on emergency contraception, which I remember hearing about in health class my sophomore year. The most effective pill seems to be something called _ella_, which will work for up to five days after having sex. But it needs a prescription, so that's out. I can't go to the doctor when I'm on my dad's insurance and not expect him to find out.

Plan B says it's 89% effective up to three days after unprotected sex and is sold over the counter. That's what I need, but there's just no way I could buy it from the pharmacy in Forks. Forget patient confidentiality in a town where everyone knows everyone. It would take mere days before my father found out that his daughter bought emergency contraception.

I need to drive to Port Angeles.

I rush downstairs, shocked to find Dad already home and sitting on the couch watching a baseball game. "Hey, Bells," he calls. "You finally awake?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Have a good time last night?"

I feel my blush coming on as I nod, hoping he doesn't ask more questions.

"When the game's over, we can go get something to eat if you don't feel like cooking," he suggests, turning back to the television.

"Ok." I actually am starving now that he's mentioned it.

There's no way I'm going to be able to explain the two-hour round trip to Port Angeles right now, but I've still got until 5am on Tuesday if Plan B works for three days. I'm sure Dad will go fishing tomorrow morning with his best friend, Billy Black, like he always does on Sundays. I'll just go tomorrow. It'll be fine.

~*~*GN*~*~

The next morning, I rush down the stairs after my morning shower, coming up short when I see my dad sitting at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal.

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here," he replies, looking at me strangely.

"I-I know, but… don't you usually go fishing with Billy on Sundays?"

"Not today. Jacob's high school graduation is at one," he reminds me, sipping his coffee.

Shit, I'd totally forgotten that the school on the nearby La Push reservation has its graduation _this_ weekend, instead of next, like mine.

"Remember you said you'd go with me? The whole rez is having a huge party and bonfire down at First Beach after the ceremony."

I sit heavily in a chair, feeling a bit like a deflated balloon. There's no way I'm making it to Port Angeles today.

I still have one more day though. I can't skip class tomorrow, because I have finals, so I'll just go right after school. I work part time at Newton's Sporting Goods after school most days, but I'll call in sick tomorrow. It'll be fine.

~*~*GN*~*~

After eating lunch in the cafeteria — and avoiding all of Angela's questions about what happened with Edward — I make the excuse that I'm going to the library to study. Instead, I step outside and take out my phone to call work.

"_Good afternoon, Newton's Sporting Goods_," my boss answers the phone.

"Uh… hi, Mrs. Newton. It's Bella."

"_Hi, Bella_," I can hear the smile in her voice. "_What can I do for you?_"

"Um… I'm not feeling that well," I lie, "And I was hoping I could take the afternoon off?"

"_Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Are you at home in bed?_"

"No, um, I'm at school. Finals, you know…" I trail off.

"_Well, then do you think there's any way you could make it to work? Mike has baseball practice after school on Mondays, as you know, and I have a doctor's appointment at four. I was counting on you being here. Otherwise, I'll have to close early._"

I sigh, closing my eyes as I press the phone to my forehead.

"_Bella?_"

"Um, sure, I'll try to make it," I tell her, hanging up the phone.

It's only a 3-5% chance, I tell myself. The universe wouldn't do this to me, not when I'm so close to getting out of Forks and finally having a life. It'll be fine.

~*~*GN*~*~

_One month later_

"Sorry, Bells," Jacob begins, stepping into the kitchen. "I don't know what's wrong with Big Red. She needs more help than I can give."

"Thanks, anyway," I sigh. It's been a week now that my truck won't start. Going to work on my old bicycle is like… totally embarrassing.

I finish up the potato salad I'm making, then carry it outside to where everyone has gathered in the backyard for my dad's annual Fourth of July barbecue.

"Bells," Dad yells from over by the grill. "I forgot to bring the cheese. Could you get it for me?"

"Sure," I nod, stepping back into the house. As I hand my dad the package of American cheese, the smell of the burgers cooking on the grill hits me.

"Ohhhh," I groan, my hand rushing to cover my mouth. I back away from the grill, but that feeling that I'm going to throw up doesn't go away. I run into the house, barely making it to the toilet in time.

"What the hell was that?" I mutter to myself as I brush my teeth afterward.

I walk slowly back down the stairs and out to the backyard. I still don't really feel well as I sit down in a lawn chair, sipping a bottle of water.

"Are you all right, Bells?" Dad asks, handing me a burger on a paper plate.

"Yeah," I assure him. "Something about the smell of the meat." I walk over to the table where the condiments and side dishes are set up, then go back to my chair with my full plate. I take a tentative bite of the macaroni salad someone brought and seem to be ok.

I'm fine until the following week, when I get sick three straight mornings as I make my breakfast. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I understand that my sickness could be a symptom of pregnancy, but then it goes away and I'm perfectly fine for almost two weeks. I convince myself that I just had a stomach bug or something.

But as July turns into August, I'm throwing up every morning and sometimes even through lunchtime. With Dad leaving for work before I get up, he never notices. I don't even try to eat until dinnertime on the days we're both home, though. I'm also exhausted, crashing on my bed when I get home from work every day, and I can see my dad starting to look at me with concern.

I count back and realize that I haven't had a period since… _before_. My cycle has always been irregular, but never two months late.

At this point, getting a pregnancy test would probably just be a formality. I know I'm pregnant, deep in my heart. But again, there's no way that I can buy a test from the Forks pharmacy, and my truck is pretty much D.O.A. so I can't drive to Port Angeles.

I'm going to have to wait until I leave for Chicago to get the official word that life as I know it is over.

~*~*GN*~*~

"I feel like I've hardly seen you this summer," Angela complains as we walk through downtown Forks eating our ice cream cones. "And now we'll be off to college soon."

"Yeah… I'm sorry. I've been working a lot of hours. My scholarship only covers tuition, not the ten thousand dollars for room and board for the next year." It's the truth, but not really why I've been avoiding her.

"But you still have the money from your mom, right?" she asks tentatively.

"I do, but… I feel bad using more of it than I have to." I shrug.

"Your dad put that money in an account for you to use, Bella," Angela says gently.

"I know," I sigh. I look at my friend and for a moment, I envy her so much. Angela still has her innocence. She's going to U-Dub to study to become a nurse, like she's always dreamed of doing. She doesn't have only a week left to make the biggest decision of her life.

"An-Angela?" Suddenly I need to share my secret with my best friend.

"What is it?" she exclaims. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Can we talk somewhere… private?" I ask, biting my lip.

"Sure," she agrees readily. "My mom's home, but we can go back to your house?"

When we get there, I open the door and solemnly lead Angela up to my bedroom. After locking the door, I sit on my bed and grab one of the throw pillows, hugging it to my stomach. She sits on the chair at my desk, waiting patiently.

I never thought I'd need to say these words to someone else… at least not for another ten years or something. I don't even know _how_. Should I just rip off the Band-Aid?

"I'm pregnant," I blurt out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Oh dear. Well, she knew about the morning after pill, but she was too afraid of her father to go buy it.

I can tell from the reviews for the last chapter that many of you suspected this and some won't be too happy. Sorry!

Now what advice would you give to Bella?


	5. Girlfriends

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! Lots of advice to Bella to tell Charlie ASAP and then try to contact Edward. Let's see what she decides.

Thanks again to moosals and CozItRunsInMyBlood for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 5 — Girlfriends<em>

Angela's eyes widen and she stares at me for at least a minute. "How is that possible?" she asks slowly. "You've never had a boyfriend."

"Edward…" I whisper.

"Holy shit!" she shrieks. "Are you saying you had sex with Edward on Grad Night? And you didn't tell me?"

I nod, hanging my head a little, ashamed of my actions that night for the first time.

"Are you sure you're pregnant? You've taken a test?"

"Um, no, I couldn't very well buy a pregnancy test in Forks, but… I've spent half the summer throwing up, and I haven't gotten my period since May. And… he didn't use a condom," I finish in a whisper.

"Why the hell didn't you make him use a condom?"

"I… I didn't even think about it until later. It all just sort of happened." I shrug helplessly.

"What exactly happened, Bella?"

I take a deep breath. "We went on Lumberjack Falls and got soaked, so Edward took me back to their tour bus to dry our clothes. He started kissing me, and undressing me, and touching me… I was pretty much dazed from the orgasm he gave me when he took off his own underwear."

"Ok, I know this is serious, but indulge me for a minute… How was it? How was _he_?" she asks excitedly.

I roll my eyes. "Well, it hurt at first 'cause he's like… huge. But then it started to feel good. He's definitely experienced."

"This is so romantic," she sighs dreamily.

"Ang! No, it's not. I mean, I knew even as it was happening that it didn't mean anything to him. He just wanted to get laid."

She purses her lips, staring at me for a moment. "Do you want me to take you to Port Angeles to buy a pregnancy test?"

"I… I don't think I really need one now. I've already looked into Planned Parenthood clinics in Chicago, so I'm gonna go there next week."

"What happens then?" she asks softly.

"Having a baby is just so expensive," I sigh. "I'd pretty much use up my entire savings account on prenatal care and giving birth if I tried to pay for it myself. I'm still on Dad's health insurance, and I don't think there's any way that I could use that and keep it from him."

Angela grimaces. "Probably not."

"Can you imagine telling the Chief that I'm pregnant?" I ask rhetorically. "The same guy who wouldn't even let me date until I turned 18?"

"I don't think I'd even want to be in the same zip code if he finds out," she agrees.

"So say I spend every cent I have to have a baby without his knowledge — then what? I'd need to get a job because I'd be out of money for a place to live. But I'd never be able to afford daycare, too, not with the type of job I could get without my degree. And without daycare, I can't work _or_ go to school. I'd be screwed, Ang! Everything I've always dreamed of for my future would be gone," I sob, tossing the pillow aside. I wrap my arms around my bent legs as I bury my head.

Angela moves to the bed, sitting beside me and putting her arm around me as I break down, the full weight of my situation hitting me for the first time. "It would be tough to handle all by yourself," she agrees softly.

I raise my head, looking over at my friend. "And I _would_ be, because my dad will never speak to me again if he finds out I got knocked up by a perfect stranger."

"So…"

"So I think I'm going to get an abortion." Angela remains silent. "I know you don't agree with that," I add quietly, trying to wipe away my tears. She doesn't share all of her father's religious beliefs, but that's one she does share.

"Well… it's nothing I'd ever do, but… I understand the position you're in."

"It's not something I ever thought I'd do either. I mean, I do want kids… just not for another ten years or so, until I'm married and established in my career."

"Did you think about telling Edward?" she asks suddenly.

"How?" I scoff. "Send him a message on Twitter?" I shake my head. "He probably doesn't even remember me anyway."

"I'm sure that's not true," she disagrees. "And maybe… maybe he'd help you."

"Ang, this isn't going to be like the plot of a Nicholas Sparks novel." _Please, please don't put ideas like that in my head, Angela_. Maybe Edward didn't give a shit about _me_, but I've been dreaming about _him_ for the past year.

"Whatever you decide, we're still friends," she declares, hugging me tightly.

~*~*GN*~*~

"Hi!" the petite, dark-haired girl shouts as I step inside my new dorm room in Chicago on a Wednesday afternoon in late August. "You must be Bella," she adds with a movie-star smile.

"Um, yeah. And you must be Alice."

"I am," she replies, grinning. "Oh, let me help." Alice takes one of my two suitcases — which is almost as big as she is — pulling it across the room toward the bed that doesn't have tons of crap on top of it. "Is this bed ok? I sort of took over the other one."

"It's fine," I shrug. "I don't care." I look around the room, noticing for the first time all of the tiny white Christmas lights that Alice has strung up everywhere.

"A bunch of us are going out after the Freshmen Dinner tonight. You're welcome to come with us," she says, bouncing on her feet.

"Um… I think I'll pass, sorry. It was a long flight and I'm pretty tired," I lie.

"Ok, well, if you change your mind…"

"Thanks, Alice."

I don't change my mind, and after orientation the next day, I take the El train to the Loop Health Center on Michigan Avenue, where I had pre-booked an appointment before my talk with Angela. I'm glad that part of our orientation included information on navigating around Chicago on the El. We certainly don't have anything similar in Forks.

"Ms. Swan?" the receptionist calls.

I follow a nurse back to an examining room, sitting nervously on the table.

"So, you think you're pregnant?" she asks.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure."

"Well, let's do a test to be certain, all right?" She hands me a cup, then shows me to a bathroom, explaining where to leave the cup when I'm finished.

I only have to wait a couple of minutes before the nurse comes back. "Well, Ms. Swan, you're definitely pregnant."

I bury my face in my hands, taking a deep breath. I knew it, but still, hearing those words is a blow.

"Do you know how far along you might be? We could do an ultrasound if you're not sure."

"Um, I know the date I conceived."

"Oh? When was that?" she asks.

"May 31." A night I'll never forget.

"Hmmm… that puts you at about 14 weeks since your last menstrual period," she says, flipping through a calendar. "Why did it take you so long to take a pregnancy test?"

"I… I've just moved to Chicago to start college. I was afraid that my dad would find out if I bought a pregnancy test back home. He's the Chief of Police, so everyone knows who his daughter is," I explain. "My truck broke down this summer, so I couldn't drive to another town to buy the test."

"You're afraid of your father?" she asks, raising one eyebrow.

"It's not what you're thinking," I reply quickly. "It's not like he'd hurt me or anything like that. He's just very overprotective. He wouldn't even let me date until I turned 18. If he finds out I'm pregnant, he'll disown me!"

"Well, you have a big decision to make—"

"I've already made it," I interrupt. "I want an abortion."

"If you're sure about that, then we can help you, but I don't want you to make a rash decision."

"It's not a rash decision; I've suspected for weeks. I'm just starting college next Monday… I'm not in a position to have a baby right now!"

"All right," the nurse nods sympathetically. "I can have one of our counselors speak with you if you wish."

"That won't be necessary," I whisper. "How soon can you do it?"

"Well, we can't do it _here_. We only offer the abortion pill at this location, and that can only be used for pregnancies up to 10 weeks."

"So what can I do?" I ask, starting to panic.

"The Near North Health Center on LaSalle Street offers surgical abortions. Why don't you come with me and I'll look up the next available appointment there on the computer?"

"Ok," I agree, and we step back out to the reception area.

"Looks like the earliest would be 8:45am on Tuesday," she announces after a few moments.

"Um, I have class Tuesday morning."

"There are a couple of appointments available next Friday?"

"My classes end by two o'clock."

She nods. "I can schedule you for 2:30; that would be the latest, since you'd need to wait for an hour before leaving and they close at 4pm."

"Um, ok."

The nurse fills out an appointment card, handing it to me. "If you change your mind about the abortion, or about talking with a counselor, please give us a call."

"Thank you," I whisper, tucking the card into my purse.

I take care of payment with the receptionist, then take the El back to the dorms, feeling about 30 years older than I actually am as I trudge up the stairs to my room.

"Hey, Bella," Alice calls out as soon as I walk in the room. "Where did you disappear to after orientation?"

"Just… around," I lie. She seems like a sweet girl, but I doubt she wants to listen to the problems of a near stranger.

Her brow furrows as she stares at me. "Are you all right?"

I start to tell her that I'm fine, but I don't think I'll ever be _fine_ again. "I…" I trail off, shaking my head. In a daze, I make my way to my bed, hot tears falling down my cheeks as soon as I sit down.

"Bella! What is it?" Alice asks, coming to sit beside me. I start crying harder, touched by her concern. "You're scaring me. Tell me what's wrong."

"I'm pregnant and I just scheduled an abortion for next Friday," I wail, throwing myself down on the bed. I feel Alice rubbing circles on my back, but she doesn't say anything for several minutes, just lets me cry it out.

"What does your boyfriend think?" she asks, breaking the silence.

"I don't have a boyfriend," I mumble into my pillow.

"Oh, then… were you… assaulted?" she asks hesitantly.

I sit up, wiping the tears from my face. "No, nothing like that. But it was a one-night stand."

"I see," Alice says. I can almost feel her judging me. "Do your parents know?"

"No," I scoff. "My dad is… sort of overprotective. He would totally freak if he even knew I've had sex. I can't let him find out about this."

"And your mom?" she asks gently. "Wouldn't she be able to calm him down? I mean, mistakes happen."

"My mom is dead," I whisper. "She died when I was eight."

"Oh, I'm so sorry…"

"If I tell my dad I'm pregnant, it'll break his heart. Everything he's done since my mom's death, starting with moving us to a small town, has been to keep me safe and protected. I wasn't even allowed to date until I was 18 — not that I ever did."

Alice bites her lip for a moment. "I'm sure that was rough, but it means your dad loves you, Bella. Maybe he'll react better than you think."

"No, he won't," I sigh. "See… when we lived in Seattle, Mom worked in a bank. One day there was a robbery and… she was shot and killed."

"Oh my God!" she gasps.

"Dad was on the police force there, and I know he's always blamed himself for not being able to somehow prevent her death. And now all of his overprotectiveness couldn't stop his teenage daughter from becoming another statistic."

Alice looks at me sympathetically. "Ok, Bella, I'm not going to judge you. You do what you have to do."

"Thanks," I whisper gratefully.

~*~*GN*~*~

As I head back to my dorm after class on Tuesday afternoon, I feel like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. Three more days until my appointment. Three more days until I — no, I can't even think about it without choking up. I have to push it to the back of my mind to even be able to function.

I can't deny that some part of me doesn't want to go through with this. Some part of me wishes for a miracle, for some sort of sign that there's another way out.

Opening the door to my dorm room, I find Alice in front of her mirror, applying lipstick. She's dressed in tiny shorts and a trendy, low-cut top.

"Isn't it a little early to be going out?" I ask.

"Oh my God," Alice squeals, "Someone in my last class heard that The New Moons are recording a music video at Navy Pier this afternoon!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Bella is worried about her dad finding out if she uses his health insurance, but the fact is, it may not extend maternity coverage to non-spouse dependents in the first place. I looked through the entire long document provided with my own employer-sponsored plan and couldn't find out if it did it or not, but I read that many don't.

Well, our girl had made a tough decision, but surprise — Edward is in town! Now, will Bella decide to tell him? How do you think he'll react if she does?


	6. Navy Pier

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! 298 reviews, woot!

To clarify: Alice is not related to Edward at all, she's just a fan of the band like Bella is. Emmett is Edward's step-brother.

Thanks again to moosals and CozItRunsInMyBlood for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 6 — Navy Pier<em>

My eyes widen in disbelief. I mean, I knew the band was from Chicago, but they're on tour until sometime in October. I didn't expect them to be in town. Is this… is this the sign I was looking for?

"I'm gonna go down there and try to meet Jasper," she continues. "He's just soooo hot!"

When I don't reply, she stops what she's doing, staring over at me. "Are you familiar with the band?"

I snort a little, nodding. Walking over to my bookshelf, I pull out my scrapbook, flipping to the page where I've put my Grad Night diploma.

"Oh my God," she yells when I show it to her, "You got the guys' autographs?"

"Yep," I nod.

"You have to come with me," she states, grabbing both of my wrists in her hands. "Maybe Jasper will recognize you. You could be my in with him!"

I stare at her for a moment before shaking my head. "I can't, Alice." But oh God, the same part of me that would've followed Edward to the ends of the Earth three months ago wants to go find him now.

"Why not?! Come on, Bella, please. Please do this for me!"

I sit down on my bed, taking a deep breath. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Of course," she nods frantically.

"I mean it, Alice — you can't tell _anyone_."

"Cross my heart," she swears, sitting down on her own bed facing me.

I pull out my phone, flipping back to one of the photos that Angela took of Edward and me, before showing it to Alice. "Edward is my baby's father."

"Get out!" she squeals, nearly shattering my eardrums.

"It's true. He asked me to show him around the park after their concert, and… well, you know."

"Holy shit! Bella, you _have_ to come with me. You have to tell Edward that you're pregnant."

I'm already shaking my head before she finishes the sentence. "I can't, Alice…"

"Yes, you can! He deserves to know."

I squeeze my eyes closed. I know she's right, but what if this ends… badly?

"I can see you're scared," she says softly. "But what's the worst that could happen?"

"He has me arrested for stalking him?"

"Ha. Ha. No, seriously, Bella. I mean, yeah I guess he could reject you and deny that it's his baby, but… so what? If he does, then you'll still be in the same position you were before."

I look at Alice, opening and closing my mouth a few times. "So you don't care that I could be humiliated."

"That's just temporary," she dismisses with a wave of her hand. "But what you're planning to do is permanent. Now that you have a way to get in touch with him, Edward deserves to have at least some say in it. Maybe he'll declare his undying love for you and ask you to marry him," she giggles.

"Yeah, I don't think so."

"Look, Bella," she begins, sitting beside me and taking my hand, "Nothing that could happen will leave you any worse off than you are right now. But it could end up so much better.

"And I know self-defense, so if he treats you badly, I'll knee him in the balls for you, ok?"

I know Alice is trying to make me laugh, but all I can manage is a small smile. Could I face Edward again? Could I tell him about… about the baby? Is there a chance that he'll _want_ this? Maybe everything's going to be ok.

_Stupid, stupid, Bella… don't get your hopes up._

"All right," I tell her, standing up to hunt through the drawer with my clothes. I'm starting to gain weight around my middle and can't button my skinny jeans anymore, but I do put on my nicest pants — instead of my current sweatpants — and try to fix my hair a little.

Just before we leave, I tear a piece of paper out of my notebook and write my name and cell number on it, just in case I don't actually get to talk to Edward directly.

"Here goes nothin'," I mutter to myself as I close the door behind me.

~*~*GN*~*~

Alice and I take the El train to the Grand station — the closest stop to Navy Pier — then take a trolley the rest of the way. There's definitely something going on here, as evidenced by the cops swarming around — not to mention dozens of young women. We step as close as we can to a barrier wall that's been set up, but all we can see are guys setting up a drum kit and other instruments in front of the Ferris wheel.

I look up at the Ferris wheel fondly — though it's much larger than the one at Wild Waves — remembering how Edward gave me my first kiss. Alice was right: he does deserve to know about the baby.

Suddenly there are screams coming from my left. I crane my neck to look, and there is the band, not 50 feet from me. Alice pulls at my arm, jumping up and down.

"There they are!" she yells.

"I see them," I reply with a small smile. My heart starts beating faster, equal parts excited at seeing Edward again and terrified of his reaction — if I get a chance to talk with him. What if he really doesn't remember me? What if he thinks I'm lying? Or… what if this really _is_ a Nicholas Sparks novel?

The guys walk up to their instruments then pretend to play as a song from their latest album plays in the background over and over again. Cameras shoot the action from all angles.

Finally the director tells everyone to take a break and the guys scatter.

"Let's check over there," Alice says, and we follow along the barricade until we see Jasper and Emmett standing together drinking bottles of water under the shade of an umbrella. I don't see Edward anywhere.

"Should I yell at him?" Alice asks with a twinkle in her eye.

"No!" I hush her.

We continue to watch them until Emmett walks into one of the buildings, leaving Jasper alone. He runs his hand through his hair and when he looks in our direction, I take the chance and wave to him. The motion of his hand stops for a moment, then he begins walking toward us.

"Oh my God," Alice squeals.

"Shut up!" I warn her. "They're just guys, not gods." I know that _now_.

"Hey," Jasper nods when he reaches the barrier. "Have we met?" he asks, looking at me curiously.

"Um, yeah. At Grad Night out in Washington. I-I got your autograph after the concert."

"Ah, yeah, that was a great show."

"Um, this is my roommate, Alice," I introduce her before she kills me.

"Pleasure to meet you," he says with a smile.

I swallow thickly, summoning up every ounce of courage I have. "Um, J-Jasper? I really need to talk to Edward. Is he around?"

Jasper blows out a breath, then shrugs. "I haven't seen him in about 20 minutes."

"It's really important," I beg.

He looks at me strangely for a moment, then grasps my arm, helping me over the barricade. "Let's go find him."

We walk past the Ferris wheel toward a few small shops, and I easily spot Edward's tall figure and signature hair over by a sign for a Fudge Shop. As we get closer, I see that there's a woman under each of his arms.

"Edward," Jasper calls. I see him lean down to give one of the women a kiss, then he turns toward his bandmate. My morning sickness ended over a week ago, but I think I'm going to be sick.

"What do you want?" he asks.

"Someone needs to talk to you," Jasper replies, motioning toward where I'm trying to hide behind him.

Edward says something to the two girls, who giggle like a couple of hyenas as he walks away from them. I can see his expression change to confusion when he spots me next to Jasper. Well, I guess that answers the question of whether or not he'd remember me.

"Bella," he says when he reaches us. Underneath the shock, his voice almost sounds… tender? Or maybe that's just what I want to hear. "What are you doing here?"

"I, um, go to college in Chicago, at UIC."

"Well," Jasper begins, patting me on the shoulder, "I've done my duty. I think we start shooting again in about 10 minutes, Ed."

"Yeah, ok," he dismisses him with a wave of his hand.

I watch as Jasper walks out of hearing range before speaking. "I, um…" I stare down at my feet, the urge to run away never as strong as it is right at this moment. "I… I can't do this…"

I turn, ready to get the hell out of there, but Edward reaches out and grabs my wrist.

"You tracked me down, might as well spit it out," he says. Am I imagining a touch of anger in his voice?

"I'm pregnant," I blurt out before I can stop myself again.

He freezes. "What the hell did you say?"

"I said I'm pregnant," I repeat meekly. "With your baby."

"Get the fuck out of here!"

"It-it's true." Tears start to roll down my face as I sense this isn't going to go well.

Edward stares at me for a moment before running his hand through his hair roughly. "Look, I don't know if you're really pregnant or not, but I know it's not my kid. You're not getting a dime from me," he says angrily.

"I didn't tell you in order to get any money!" I whisper-yell back. "I just… I just thought you should know. I've already scheduled an abortion for Friday afternoon. I'm going through with it, unless… unless…" I shake my head. There is no "unless" — Edward clearly doesn't want anything to do with the baby.

"Do whatever the fuck you want with it. It's not mine."

"It _is_ yours, Edward. Don't you remember having sex with me without a condom?" I plead.

When he just stares at me, I shake my head. I'm not going to take this any longer. I start to turn away, but then remember the paper I brought with me. I pull it out of my pocket, stuffing it into his hand. "So you know where to find me if — if you want to talk," I tell him softly.

I turn and run back the way I came, finding Alice standing at the barrier where I'd left her. She takes one look at me and her face falls. With her help, I step back over and she hugs me tightly. "I guess I don't have to ask how it went."

~*~*GN*~*~

After my last class on Friday, Alice and I set out on the El train to the Near North Health Center. I tried promising her I'd take a cab back afterward, but she still insisted on coming with me. She can be a bit much sometimes, but she does seem to be a good friend. It's not really in the roommates' handbook to have to take the girl you met a week ago to get an abortion.

As I sit and wait for my name to be called, I clutch my phone tightly in my hand, staring at it as I try to will Edward to call me.

"Ms. Swan?" Swallowing thickly, I slide my phone back into the side of my purse and leave it with Alice, following the receptionist back to an examining room.

"A nurse will be with you shortly," she says, closing the door as she leaves. As I wait for what feels like an eternity — but is probably less than five minutes — I bounce my knee nervously. I know in my heart that this is the right thing to do, but it's not like I feel good about it. It's not like my heart isn't being torn in two right now.

When the nurse arrives, we spend several minutes discussing my medical history before I sign a bunch of papers. The nurse does a quick exam, taking my temperature, pulse and blood pressure.

"We're going to do a procedure called a vacuum aspiration," the nurse explains. "We can do it under a local anesthetic where you're awake during the procedure, or sedation where you're more deeply relaxed. There is an additional charge for sedation, but it's up to you."

"Um… I had to go to the nurse's office when I passed out doing blood typing in Biology. I think I want the sedation."

"All right," she replies with a sad smile. "I'm sorry about this, but we're going to need to do an ultrasound. By your calculations, you're only one week from the maximum gestation period for a vacuum aspiration, so we need to double check."

I change into a hospital style gown, then lie back on the table while the nurse applies some sort of gel to my abdomen. After she touches a wand to my skin, I force myself not to look at the screen when I see an image beginning to flicker. There is a rapid thumping noise, but the nurse quickly turns a dial and it disappears.

"What was that noise?" I ask.

"That was the fetus's heartbeat," the nurse answers gently. "Sorry."

"Oh." A tear comes to my eye. This is a living thing that'll just be… gone in a few minutes. But I know I can't have this baby by myself… not if I want to give it any sort of a life.

"You're right at about 15 weeks according to the measurements, so we're good to go." She turns off the screen, cleans the gel from my stomach, then helps me sit up.

"Are you sure about this, Isabella? You can change your mind at any time."

I hesitate for just a moment, my eyes filling with tears. If only Edward turned out to be the man I'd thought he was… "I'm sure," I whisper.

She nods. "Let me go make sure the doctor is ready for us. The sedative will be administered via IV, so I'll start that when I come back and then you'll be moved to the Operating Room, ok?"

As soon as she steps out of the room, I try to take deep breaths to calm myself. I don't like the entire idea of having surgery, but I know it's the only way since I waited so long.

I can't deny that some part of me hoped that Edward would get back in touch with me before today, but I didn't really expect him to. He made his feelings very clear. I brush away the tears rolling down my cheeks — tears for myself and for my baby.

When the nurse comes back, she has me lie down while she starts prepping my arm for the IV. Before she can put the needle in, we hear some sort of commotion in the building, with loud voices.

"Sir," I hear a muffled voice say. "You can't go back there, sir."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Rose said that when she was pre-reading, she lost her appetite at the image of Edward with the two girls. Sorry if anyone else had the same reaction!

So, Edward reacted how a lot of readers (and Bella) feared that he would. Poor Bella kept hoping he'd have a change of heart.


	7. Plea

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! You guys had a lot to say about the last chapter! What a violent lot you all are, too, calling Edward names and wishing evil on his man parts.

Most of you hope it's Edward out in the hall, though several think it could be Charlie, Jasper or Emmett.

Thanks again to moosals and CozItRunsInMyBlood for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

**For those who've read the contest one-shot, about 60% of this chapter is new!**

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 7 — Plea<em>

The door to my room bursts open and I sit up, crossing my arms in front of myself. And then I stare at the crazed-looking Edward in the doorway. I'm not sure he's shaved — or slept — since I last saw him.

A security guard rushes into the room, grabbing him by the arms as Edward tries to fight him off.

"I just need to talk to her," he growls.

"Do you know this man?" the guard asks. I nod slowly, still in shock.

"Ms. Swan," the nurse begins, "Do you want to talk to him? Or I can have security throw him out. It's up to you."

I stare into her kind eyes, my own filling with fresh tears. "I have to know what he wants," I whisper to her. The look she gives me in return tells me that she understands exactly who this is.

"Let him go," the nurse directs. "We'll wait right outside," she assures me. "Call if you need us."

As soon as the door closes behind them, Edward begins pacing across the room, tearing at his hair. Finally he stops in front of me, grasping the hair on the back of his head with two hands and squeezing his eyes shut.

"Swear it's mine."

I stare at him in shock for a moment before whispering, "I swear."

"I mean it. Swear on your life."

"I swear to you, Edward," I plead. "It can't be anyone else's. I've never been with anyone else. You know that's true… you know I was a virgin."

His tormented green eyes finally open as he stares down at me, breathing heavily. "Am I too late?" he asks quietly.

"No… the nurse was just about to start…"

"Don't do it. Please, Bella," he begs desperately. "Don't go through with it."

"Edward—"

He tears at his hair again, then stares at me with a determined look. "When my mom got pregnant with me, my dad was already married — to someone else. He rejected her and told her to get an abortion. But she refused. She had me by herself, and it was hard, we didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up, but she did it. If my mom had listened to that man, if she'd taken the easy way out, I wouldn't be here."

I shake my head, tears beginning to fall. "I just started college this week, Edward. I'm here on a scholarship. The only health insurance I have is my dad's and he will freak out if I use that and he finds out I'm pregnant. I can't pay for this pregnancy on my own," I sob. "I don't want to have to drop out of school. I—"

"Do you think I'm asking you to have the baby by yourself?" he asks incredulously.

"But Tuesday you said—"

"I know what I said," he growls, tearing at his hair again. "I've never met my own father, Bella. I don't even know what he looks like, since my mom burned any photos she had of him. The thought of my child being out there somewhere in the world not knowing me…" He shakes his head. "I could never do that."

"So you'd help me?" I ask quietly, a flicker of hope beginning to bloom.

"I'm not rich by any means, but I have enough money to take care of you."

"But I'm only a college freshman," I cry. "I want to stay in school, but I'd need daycare, and, and…"

"We don't have to figure everything out right this minute, Bella!" he yells. He tears at his hair yet again, then steps closer to where I'm sitting, taking hold of my hands. "I don't know what I'm doing any more than you do, ok? But we have time to figure it out. Pregnancies take nine months, right?"

"There's only six months left," I whisper.

"Plenty of time," he shrugs with a half-hearted wink. "If things were different… would you want the baby?"

"If I were out of school and established in my career… yeah," I admit. "I mean, I've always wanted kids… one day. It's just not the best timing."

"I'm sorry," he says quietly. "For how I reacted last time. And for… getting you pregnant," he mumbles, staring down at his feet. "I _always_ use a condom, but from the beginning, you seemed so different from the girls who usually throw themselves at me. And then I pretty much deduced that you were a virgin."

"I also was a virgin who wasn't on the pill."

"Why didn't you stop me then?" he asks curiously.

"I guess… I just got carried away. It didn't even occur to me until after I got home. Stupid, I know."

He gives me a small smile. "I got carried away, too. Believe it or not, I didn't bring you back to our bus to have sex."

I look up at him skeptically and he chuckles. "Really, I didn't." He sighs loudly. "It took two of us to get into this mess, and it'll be the two of us from here on out, ok? You don't have to do this alone."

"P-promise?" I ask, my bottom lip trembling.

"I promise," he vows, wrapping his arms around me and hugging me tightly. I didn't realize how much I'd missed feeling his arms around me. He kisses my cheek as he pulls back. "So we're gonna have a baby?"

"We're gonna have a baby."

Edward closes his eyes, leaning in to touch his forehead to mine. I revel in our closeness — and his scent that I'd missed so much — for a minute before he pulls away. He looks around the examining room for a few seconds before scowling.

"This place gives me the creeps. Can we go?" he asks quietly.

"Um, sure." I jump down from the table. "Let me just go get dressed." I take one step and feel a breeze behind me, quickly remembering that my hospital gown is open in the back.

Walking backwards so that I'm facing Edward the entire time, I pick up my clothes from the chair where I'd left them, then move toward the bathroom to change.

"I've already seen you naked," he smirks at me. It's only mid-afternoon, but I'm completely wiped out from this entire ordeal. I just don't have it in me to make any kind of snappy comeback.

When I return to the room, Edward takes my hand, just as he did so often that night, and opens the door. The nurse and the security guard are still waiting outside, exactly as they'd promised they would be.

"Um…"

"You've changed your mind?" the nurse asks, raising one eyebrow. I nod in response. "You can go, Felix," she says to the guard. "Why don't we sit down for a moment so we can chat?"

"Um, ok." We turn back into the room. "I'm sorry," I tell her as I hop back onto the table, Edward standing nervously beside me.

"What on earth for?"

I shrug. "For wasting your time."

"Oh, sweetheart, don't you worry about that. All any of us here wishes for is that the young women we meet make the best decision for _them_, whatever that may be. Are you sure this is what you want, Isabella? You're not being pressured into this decision?"

"Hey—" Edward begins, but the nurse holds up a hand to interrupt him.

"Let her speak." He closes his mouth, looking properly chastised.

"It's what I want," I whisper. "I just didn't think I could do it alone."

"All right then, if you're going to have this baby, we need to start getting you prenatal care. I can give you a small supply of prenatal vitamins before you leave."

"Ok," I agree.

"I also recommend that you schedule a visit for a thorough exam as soon as possible. I take it you don't have a doctor here in Chicago?"

"No," I shake my head.

"You attend UIC, right? One of our doctors on staff here, Gretchen Gerandy, also keeps an office at the MercyWorks clinic, which isn't far from our Loop location. I could call her office for you and see if they have any openings?"

"That sounds good," I agree. "What, um, what does prenatal care entail, exactly?"

"Well, initially the doctor will need to get both you and your partner's medical histories, as well as that of both of your families. She'll do a more complete physical exam and a full gynecological exam. You also may be offered another ultrasound; I'm only trained in ultrasound dating."

I blink a few times as I stare at the nurse. This is real; this is happening. And it's going to cost money. I take a deep breath, trying to quell the rising panic within me.

"Bella," Edward says quietly, rubbing my arm. I look toward him and he gives me a tiny smile. "It's going to be ok."

"Why don't we head outside now so I can get the phone number, and I'll try to find you an available appointment?" the nurse suggests.

Edward helps me down from the table and we step out into the hallway, making our way to the reception desk.

I notice Alice jumps up out of her seat in the waiting area as soon as she spots us. I hold up my hand, letting her know to wait a moment before pouncing.

The nurse picks up the phone to call Dr. Gerandy's office. "Isabella?" she calls after a few moments. "Looks like the first available appointment would be 11:30am on Tuesday."

"That works for me." My Tuesday morning class is over by 10:45, and my second one is later in the afternoon.

I turn to Edward and he nods. "We're not leaving for our show in Indianapolis until later on Tuesday afternoon, so I can do that time."

After she's hung up, the nurse scribbles the doctor's information on a piece of paper for me, handing it to me along with the bottle of vitamins. "You're all set for next Tuesday. Let me talk to our receptionist and figure out what to charge you for the services today."

"I'll wait here and take care of that," Edward says quietly. "You go see your friend before she dies of anticipation."

I walk over to Alice and she immediately grabs my hands. "Are you still pregnant?" she asks breathlessly.

"Yes," I nod.

"Oh, thank God," she breathes. "He wasn't too late. I am so, so sorry, Bella."

My brow furrows in confusion. "For what?"

"When I spoke to Edward on the phone, I told him where you were and he just hung up on me! I debated trying to get word to you, but he hadn't said anything, so I wasn't sure if he was planning to come here or not. I didn't want to get your hopes up for nothing. I probably drove everyone else in the waiting area nuts, pacing back and forth until he burst in."

So _that's_ how Edward knew where to find me. I'd been so shocked at his arrival that it never occurred to me to ask him. "It all worked out," I assure Alice. "You're right — I would've been devastated if you'd stopped me and he never showed up."

"So he's on board with this?"

"Yeah, he says he'll help me, I don't have to do it alone."

Alice shocks me by throwing her arms around me. "I'm so happy for you," she whispers in my ear, squeezing me tightly. She hands me my purse and I stuff the vitamin bottle into the side.

"Um…" I feel Edward's hand on my arm and turn to look at him. "All taken care of."

"Thank you." He just shrugs in response.

I notice the way Alice glares at him and almost want to laugh. She's like a tiny Chihuahua thinking it's ferocious.

"So, um, we should talk," Edward says. "Unless you have to be somewhere?"

"I'll just let you two get to it," Alice states, starting to walk away.

"Alice," I stop her, "I'm sure Edward can drive you back to campus. I mean, if you drove here?" I add, looking up at Edward.

"I did," he confirms.

"The El station is only a block away, Bella. I can manage."

"But you have to change lines and all that."

"No problem," she waves her hand dismissively. "Maybe I'll get off downtown and get a little shopping in," she adds with a grin. Alice sure does have a huge wardrobe for a college student.

The three of us leave together, then Alice waves goodbye as she walks to the street corner, waiting until it's clear to cross.

"My car's over here," Edward says, taking my arm to lead me to a parking garage next door. I follow him inside and up the stairs one level. He stops beside a snazzy black Porsche, hitting a button on the keyfob then opening the passenger door for me.

"Nice car."

He shrugs. "All young guys who suddenly get a lot of money buy fast cars."

I buckle up while Edward walks around to the driver's side, staring at his profile as he gets himself settled in. The engine starts with a loud roar.

I sit quietly as Edward pays the parking lot attendant, then turns left out of the garage. "So you called my phone?"

"Yeah, I drove to your campus then called the number you gave me, but your friend answered. She told me where you were," he adds unnecessarily.

"Where are we going?" I ask as we merge onto a larger highway after about a mile.

"Lakeshore Drive," he replies. "It's one of the more famous roads in Chicago."

I stare out at Lake Michigan as we drive north in silence for about ten minutes. "Are you hungry?" Edward asks out of nowhere.

"Um, yeah, I am," I reply, suddenly famished. "I wasn't allowed to eat anything today…" I trail off, wondering if he's upset with me for what I almost did. He _shouldn't_ be, given that he told me to do whatever I wanted.

He exits the highway at the next opportunity, somehow managing to find street parking near a coffee shop. Inside, he tells me to order whatever I want, and I look at the side of the menu with sandwiches and pies; I've never been one for coffee and I probably shouldn't drink it now, anyway. I decide to get a slice of chocolate cream pie along with a turkey sandwich. I mean, I'm eating for two now.

Edward asks for our meals to-go and pays for them, thanking the middle-aged woman behind the counter.

"Do you, um, eat here often?" I ask as we step outside.

"When we're in town," he shrugs as he holds the car door open for me. "I still live with my parents in Evanston, which is just a little bit north of here."

A few turns later and we pull into a parking lot. Edward grabs the bag with our food and I follow him down to a sandy beach. "Sorry I don't have a blanket or something to make this a real picnic," he smiles as he sits down on the sand. I sit carefully beside him, waiting patiently as he empties the bag and hands me my meal.

We eat in silence, though I can feel Edward's eyes on me. I know we need to talk, but we have so _much_ to talk about that I'm not sure where to begin. He's been nothing but sweet to me for the last hour, but I can't just forget the things he said to me three days ago.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** It was Edward! Is he on the way to redeeming himself? Or does he have a long way to go?

A couple of readers commented on the contest entry that it was pretty gritty and realistic — until the end. The pat "HEA" was for the one-shot, but now our two crazy kids have to figure out how to deal with the mess they've gotten themselves into.

The good news is that there's a lot more to the story — I've written over 100,000 words so far and it's far from over.

The bad news is that I get no writing done on days that I update, and I need to finish the story, so this is the last of the daily updates. We now move to a **Tuesday** and **Friday** posting schedule. I've done Monday/Thursday in the past, but Thursdays are really bad for me when _The Vampire Diaries_ is having new episodes, since I go to a friend's house to watch it.


	8. Apology

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! I see that Edward still has a long way to go to get himself back in your good graces.

Thanks again to moosals and CozItRunsInMyBlood for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 8 — Apology<em>

"Are you done?" Edward asks quietly as I replace the top on my now-empty bottle of water.

I nod and he takes our trash, getting up to throw it away. When he returns, he sits beside me, staring out at the blue water. I look over at Edward, and despite the dark shadows under his eyes, he's still the most beautiful boy I've ever seen. In holey jeans, a white t-shirt and denim vest with silver spikes on the shoulders, he's the epitome of sexy rock star.

"I'm sorry," he says finally.

"You said that already."

Edward turns so that's he's somewhat facing me. "And I could say it a thousand more times. I'm just so fucking sorry for everything."

He looks so earnest that I want to tell him it's ok, but really — it's not.

"The things I said to you on Tuesday… there was no excuse for that. You caught me by surprise and I lashed out. Our manager has always told us to wrap it up, that there are girls out there who'll lie about getting pregnant so they can get money. I know you aren't like that, Bella. I knew it then, I just… didn't want to believe you were telling the truth."

"I was so afraid of your reaction that I almost didn't tell you," I confess. "Alice convinced me to do it; she was just so sure that whatever happened wouldn't leave me any _worse_ off. Pretty much all my worst fears came true, though."

"Pretty much?" he asks with a crooked grin.

"Well, you didn't have me arrested for stalking."

Edward barks out a laugh then shakes his head. "I'm sorry. Again." He runs his hand through his much-abused hair, then sighs.

"I've royally fucked up ever since the moment I met you. You seemed so different from the girls who are always throwing themselves at me — it was refreshing. I meant it when I said that I didn't bring you back to our tour bus with any intentions of having sex. I just wanted to get us warm and dry.

"I could tell you were nervous," he continues, "And I just wanted you to relax. But your skin was so soft, and you smelled so good. Once I kissed you, I couldn't stop. At some point, I figured out that you were probably a virgin, but even that didn't stop me."

"I could've told you to stop, Edward."

"No, I was the one with experience; that was all on me." He shakes his head. "It should've been special for you, not just a quickie on a tiny bunk bed. I should've been more gentle. I should've made sure you were ok afterward. I should've insisted on walking you back to your bus. I should've asked for your phone number."

I can do nothing but stare at him for several moments.

"It _was_ special for me, Edward. I didn't have any regrets afterward. And you _were_ gentle." I do wish we had traded phone numbers though.

He snorts. "The little crescent-shaped marks I found on my back later said otherwise." I feel my face flush, remembering the way I dug my fingers into his skin, trying to be brave.

"I won't lie and say it didn't hurt… at first. Based on the stories I've heard from my high school friends, that really couldn't have been avoided."

"Still, I should've… been a better man. And I know it goes without saying that I should've used a condom."

I bring my legs up to my chest, wrapping my arms around them as I stare out at the lake. Yes, he should've used a condom — and I should've asked him to. "We can't go back and change it now."

"How long have you known?" he asks quietly.

"Officially, just since Thursday of last week."

"Officially?"

I nod. "That's when I went to the Planned Parenthood clinic in the Loop and got a pregnancy test. But I guess I've known in my heart for about a month."

"You must've been so scared…"

"Terrified," I confirm. "I finally told my friend Angela — you remember her — about a week before I left for Chicago."

"You said something earlier about your dad… he doesn't know?"

"No," I whisper. "My mom died when I was eight, and ever since he's been very overprotective. He will totally freak out if he finds out about the baby."

"You can't keep it from him forever. I mean, not if you ever plan to see him again. You won't be able to go back home at Christmas and keep it hidden. Or next summer when you have a baby in your arms."

I cringe… when I agreed to keep the baby, I hadn't stopped to consider that my dad would have to find out someday. Suddenly, Edward reaches out, taking my hand in his. "It'll be ok, Bella."

"You don't know my dad," I growl, my panic starting to rise.

He squeezes my hand until I make eye contact. "I promise it'll be ok."

"You can't promise that!"

"Bella," he sighs, "Don't get yourself all worked up about it now. You have time, right? You'll figure out a way to tell him."

I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself. "It's just… my dad's the only family I have. I don't want to lose him."

Edward gives me a sympathetic smile. "Do _your_ parents know?" I ask.

He shakes his head. "Mom knows something's up from the way I've been acting since Tuesday, but no, she doesn't know anything about you. I haven't told any of the guys, either. I really wasn't in the mood for them to give me shit over not using a condom."

"Jasper knew I wanted to talk to you…"

"I just told him that you wanted me to know you were in town."

"And he bought that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

Edward shrugs. "He stopped asking questions," he dismisses. He turns to look out at the water for a few moments, then turns back to me. "Do you want to meet my mom?"

My eyes widen as I stare at Edward. "N-now?"

"No point in waiting."

"But… but what if she thinks I'm just after your money. What if she—"

"You worry too much," he scoffs. "Mom will understand once we explain it. Remember what I told you about her — she went through something similar herself. She'll be on our side, Bella.

"Look," he continues, "I have to leave Tuesday to go back on tour. We won't be off the road until the middle of October. I won't be able to be here to take care of you, but I know my mom will look out for you. I'll feel better if she knows about you before I have to leave."

I stare over at Edward, touched by his concern for me. His mood swings kind of give me whiplash. I'm not sure which Edward Masen is the real one.

"Will you tell me about her first? I mean, besides what you said earlier."

He shrugs. "She's a secretary… or administrative assistant, whatever the PC term is. She works downtown for one of the investment firms."

"Your step-father is a doctor, right?" Edward just raises one eyebrow as he stares at me. "I—I'm a fan of The New Moons. I read it online," I defend myself. Shit, I don't want to look like some sort of crazed stalker fan to Edward — even if I kind of was.

"He's a doctor, yeah," he answers. "An oncologist. He married my mom about four years ago."

"How did they meet?" I ask curiously. I've hoped over the years that my own father would find someone else to cure his broken heart, but he never has.

"One of Mom's friends had breast cancer several years ago and Carlisle was her doctor. Mom met him when she went to visit her friend in the hospital," he explains.

"Do you get along with him?"

"Sure," he shrugs. "He's a good guy, and I can tell he really loves Mom. His first wife — Emmett's mom — died in a car accident about five years before he met my mom.

"How… how did your mom die, Bella?"

I swallow thickly before answering. No matter how many times I tell people this story, it doesn't get any easier. "She worked as a bank teller and was killed in a hold-up," I tell him softly.

"Shit! Really?" I nod sadly. "Wow, that must've been really hard for you."

"It was… I mean, she went off to work one day and never came home. I never got a chance to say goodbye. I came home from school and Dad told me she was gone. Then just after the holidays, Dad moved us to Forks, where he thought we'd be safer."

"I can't even imagine, Bella," Edward says, shaking his head. He reaches out to squeeze my hand again.

"Dad's a cop — the Chief of Police — so he knows about all the trouble kids can get into. He never let me go to parties, and he wouldn't let me date until I turned 18."

When Edward doesn't reply, I look up at him to see him staring back at me. "Your dad's the fucking Chief of Police?" I nod carefully. "I am really glad he's 2,000 miles away right now."

I smile a little at Edward's fear of my father. "Now you understand _my_ fear of telling him."

He grins, nodding. "I promise my mom will be much less scary."

"So you want to go see her _now_?"

Edward pulls his iPhone out of his pocket, looking at something on the screen. "Mom should be home from work by now. We've got promo stuff to do all day tomorrow, so… no time like the present, right?"

He stands and I swallow thickly as I reach for the hand he holds out to me, letting him pull me up. For a moment, we're standing mere inches apart. As we stare into each other's eyes, I think for a moment that Edward is going to kiss me. I start to panic, unsure if I want that or not. It's too soon, isn't it? I'm still upset with him. Taking a step backwards, I brush the sand from my backside.

"Let's go," he says with a small smile, reaching for my hand again. We walk back to Edward's Porsche and again he's quite the gentleman holding the door for me.

As Edward gets himself buckled in, I lean over to look in the rearview mirror, trying to make sure my make-up isn't too smudged from crying earlier.

"You look beautiful," he says quietly. I turn toward him and stare. He's never said that to me before, even when he was trying to seduce me into bed. "I should've said that before."

"Before?" I ask, breathlessly.

He nods. "Before I treated you like a common whore and took your virginity," he says scornfully, turning the key in the ignition. I'm shocked for a moment by his words and the anger in his voice, but it seems to be directed at himself and not at me.

I remain quiet as we get back onto Lakeshore Drive, heading north. At some point, we turn inland and keep driving north for several miles. "Did you grow up in Evanston?" I ask quietly.

"No, we lived in Lincoln Park until Mom married Carlisle," he explains. Finally, Edward turns onto a tree-lined street with what I can only describe as mansions on either side.

"Wow…"

Edward smiles over at me. "My step-dad is a doctor," he says, as if that explains everything. He turns into a long driveway in front of a huge house with a stone front facade, then presses a button on a remote control to open the door to a four-car garage. He pulls up between a shiny black Mercedes and a more practical silver Volvo and shuts off the engine.

"We're here."

Edward holds my hand tightly as we walk toward the door into the house. "The Mercedes is Carlisle's, so he's home too," he warns me. He unlocks the door, then steps inside. I follow quietly, finding myself in a laundry room as large as my entire dorm room. And of course the washer and dryer look like top of the line.

"Mom?" he calls.

"In the kitchen," she replies.

Edward looks down at me, squeezing my hand. "Ready?" he whispers.

"No." I'm in no condition to meet someone who lives in a house as grand as this — even if she did marry into money. I'm only wearing a long, dark red tunic top and black leggings, thanks to being unable to button any of my jeans. And I've cried enough tears for a lifetime today.

Goosebumps erupt as Edward trails one finger down my cheek, bringing me straight back to the first time I met him. "It'll be fine."

We walk into a huge kitchen, with light wood cabinets, shiny stainless steel appliances and dark granite countertops.

Esme Masen Cullen stands at the sink with her back to us, dressed elegantly in an off-white, long-sleeved blouse and black skirt that ends just below the knee. She's rinsing a pan under the running water.

"Hey, Mom."

She turns around, her hand flying to her chest as she spots me. "Oh, hello. You didn't say you brought company, Edward." She spins back around and shuts off the faucet, then dries her hands on a dish towel.

Still holding tightly to my hand — as if he's afraid I'm going to run — Edward walks us over toward his mother. She's tall, like Edward, and they have the same coloring, but otherwise, Edward must've gotten his looks completely from his father.

"Mom, this is Bella." He squeezes my hand. "Bella, this is my mom, Esme Cullen."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cullen," I manage to say.

"Lovely to meet you too, Bella," she smiles, then looks toward her son, giving him a pointed look. "So Bella is your… girlfriend?" I think I hear a touch of hope in her voice.

"Not… exactly." His mother just raises an eyebrow. "Bella and I are going to have a baby."

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><p><strong>AN:** So how is Edward doing now? Any closer to redemption? And how do you think Esme is going to react?

Next update on **Friday**.


	9. Cullens

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! Most of you think Edward could've been a bit smoother in how he broke the news to his mom. I did hear from one reader who said that her own son gave her the news that she was going to be a grandmother the same way.

Thanks again to moosals and CozItRunsInMyBlood for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

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><p><em>Chapter 9 — Cullens<em>

Mrs. Cullen sighs, closing her eyes. "Edward, how many times have I told you that your lifestyle was going to come back to bite you in the ass one day? How many times have I told you," she continues, her voice rising, "That it was just a matter of time before you got one of your sluts pregnant."

I gasp, pulling my hand out of Edward's as I take a step back.

"Mom!" he yells. He grabs my wrist as I try to slink away, but I shake my head.

"I think I should go," I whisper to him.

"No," he insists, putting his arm around my shoulders. "Mom, look at her! Does she look like that kind of girl to you?"

I try to pull myself away from him again, but he's holding me too tightly. "I just want to go, Edward," I cry, feeling my tears start to bubble over. "Please."

He leads me back toward the laundry room, then tenderly grasps my face with both hands. "I'm sorry, ok? Let me talk to her alone and I'll explain everything. If I can't convince her, then we'll leave, all right? I promise."

I really just want to go far away from here and never come back, but instead I nod brokenly. He leads me away from his mother, toward a huge family room where I see an older blond man who must be his step-father standing and watching us curiously. Opening a door, Edward leads me onto a screened-in porch. He helps me sit down on what looks like a chaise lounge, then kisses my forehead gently.

"Wait here and I'll be back for you soon," he says quietly.

As soon as he's gone, the sobs that I've been holding in burst out. I'm not surprised by what Edward's mother said about me. Isn't that what most people think when they see a pregnant 18-year-old girl?

She probably thinks I'm after his money, just as Edward initially did. His band members will probably think the same thing when they find out. So will everyone at school.

I'm not sure about anything anymore. I made the decision to stop the abortion with my heart, not with my head. I'm still just an 18-year-old college freshman. By his own admission, Edward isn't going to be in town all the time; I'm still going to be going through this alone.

And as he reminded me, I'll have to tell my dad someday unless I plan to never see him again. His reaction will make Esme Cullen's look like child's play!

I try to control my breathing as I brush away the tears streaming down my face. I don't know if I'm strong enough to do this.

And then as his mother's words play on a loop in my head, her comment about Edward's "lifestyle" jumps out at me. The image of him with a woman under each arm flashes before my eyes. I'd pretty much already guessed that he was experienced… that he was maybe a little bit of a player. But having it confirmed by his mother shakes me to the core.

I jump a little when the door to the porch opens. Edward takes one look at me and immediately sits down beside me, wrapping me in his strong arms as he pulls me onto his lap. I know he hurt me, but I need his comfort right now, so I don't push him away.

"Shhh… it's ok, Bella. Everything's ok," he soothes as he rocks me back and forth. But now that I've started, I can't stop crying. I barely feel his hand combing through my hair, or the soft kisses he keeps placing on my cheek.

Finally, Edward pulls back, tenderly wiping the tears from beneath my eyes. "Please don't cry. I was able to explain everything to Mom."

"But she called me a slut!" I cry, the tears starting up again.

"No, no, baby, she called every other girl I've been with a slut. You're different; she gets that now. Just take deep breaths, try to calm down." He brushes my tears away again and I try, I do try to listen to what he's saying.

Edward hugs me to him once more and I throw my arms around his neck. I just need to feel him, to _smell_ him, to believe in what he's saying.

He squeezes me tightly then moves back a little, gently wiping away a few remaining tears.

"Are you ready?" he asks. "She's anxious to apologize."

"She is?" I whisper. He nods, giving me a soft smile.

Edward brings me with him as he stands, keeping an arm around me as he opens the door back into the house. I immediately spot Mr. and Mrs. Cullen seated together on the brown leather couch, their hands clasped together.

Mrs. Cullen stands when she sees us. "Bella, I am truly sorry for what I said before. My anger was directed at my son, not at you. Had I opened my eyes, I would've seen that you're very different from the type of girl he's usually seen with." I stare down at my feet, not really wanting that mental image again. "I shouldn't have judged you so quickly," she continues. "Please accept my apology?"

I sniffle a little, biting my lip as I nod.

"Thank you," she replies quietly. "Could we please forget the last 15 minutes and start over?"

"I'd like that," I whisper.

"Good," she smiles. "Could I get you something to drink? I have fresh lemonade."

"That would be nice, thanks."

"I'll take a glass, too, Mom," Edward says as he leads me to the matching loveseat.

"You can get your own, Edward," she calls on her way into the kitchen.

He chuckles a little as he sits us down. "Carlisle, this is Bella. Bella, this is Dr. Carlisle Cullen, my step-father."

"It's nice to meet you," I greet him quietly.

"Nice to meet you, too," he replies with a smile.

Mrs. Cullen returns with two glasses of lemonade, despite what she said earlier. "Thank you, Mrs. Cullen," I say as she hands me a glass.

"Oh, please call me Esme, dear." I nod silently, taking a sip of my lemonade.

She sits back next to her husband, smoothing her skirt. "May I ask how far along you are?

"Um, fifteen weeks." I notice her eyes widen a little.

"Wait, what?" Edward asks, turning toward me. "Grad Night was only at the end of May — surely that wasn't 15 weeks ago?"

"Pregnancy timelines start counting from the date of the woman's last menstrual period, Edward," his mother replies. "Not the date of conception."

"How have you been feeling, Bella?" Dr. Cullen asks.

"Um, I was sick pretty much from the middle of July up until a couple of weeks ago. I'm better now though," I add.

"Edward said that you were planning to have an abortion today," Esme mentions hesitantly.

"Yes," I nod, staring down at my lap. "I'm not in a position to have a baby by myself. I didn't know how to get in touch with Edward — I mean, not until I got to Chicago and found out The New Moons were on a break from their tour — and I just…" She gives me a sympathetic smile. "Um, Edward said you were in a similar position once."

"I was," she admits, "Though I was 25 — quite a bit older than you are. I'd been on my own and working for several years, though I didn't make a lot of money."

"Did your family help?" I ask curiously.

She hesitates for a moment before answering. "I come from… an abusive background. I left home the day I graduated from high school. I lived on a friend's couch for several months, working a minimum wage job, until I was able to save up enough money to leave my hometown in Ohio."

"I'm sorry," I whisper. Maybe my dad isn't so bad after all.

"It's quite all right, dear," she replies with a small smile. "My only regret is that I was never able to go to college and get a degree."

"I don't want to have to drop out of college after I have the baby."

"You won't, Bella," Edward says, taking hold of my hand again. "We'll figure something out, ok?" He rubs his thumb soothingly over the back of my hand.

"I admire your determination to stay in school," Dr. Cullen says.

I shrug a little, embarrassed by his praise. "Having a career has always been important to me."

"Which college are you attending?" Esme asks.

"I'm a freshman at UIC."

"Your campus is only about a mile away from my office," she smiles. "You're 18 then?"

"I'll be 19 in September," I reply quietly.

"What is your major? Or are you still undecided?" Dr. Cullen asks.

"Um, English. I don't know yet if I'll try to get a double major in Communications, or just a minor."

"Why did you choose UIC?" Esme asks. "Edward said you're from Washington State."

I take a long sip of my drink, wondering if she thinks I was somehow stalking her son by choosing to come to Chicago for school. "They offered me a full scholarship for tuition," I reply quietly. "And I kind of wanted to be further away from home and have a chance to be more independent."

"You must be very smart to get a full scholarship," Dr. Cullen remarks.

"Most of the time," I mumble, mostly to myself.

Esme clears her throat. "Bella, I hope you'll be able to come to dinner here on Sunday?" she asks. "We try to have family dinners whenever the boys are in town."

"Um…"

"You can meet Emmett and Rose," Edward says. "I, uh… I'll warn them in advance."

"Ok," I reply quietly. Emmett seemed cool when I got his autograph, anyway. All I know about his fiancée is that she's a model.

"Excellent," she smiles. "I look forward to getting to know you better. And let me apologize again for anything I may have implied about your character and your motives."

"It wasn't Bella's fault, Mom; I'm the one who fucked up," Edward says.

"Language, Edward," Esme says sternly. "Could you boys please excuse us for a minute? I'd like to speak with Bella alone."

My eyes widen, wondering what she could possibly want with me alone.

"Come on, Edward," Dr. Cullen says, standing up. "Let's go to my office."

Once they've gone, Esme comes and sits next to me. "Bella, dear, please tell me the truth. Did Edward pressure you to do anything you didn't want to do?"

"No! Nothing like that, Mrs. Cul—Esme. I know I could've asked him to stop at any time… but I didn't."

She nods. "All right," she says softly. "Are you really ok with the decision to keep the baby?"

"I… my heart knows it's the right thing, but my head isn't so sure."

"It's not going to be easy, Bella, but you can do it. You won't be alone."

I breathe a little easier hearing those words. Nodding, I give her a small smile. "Can… can I ask you something personal?"

"Of course," she agrees quickly.

"Edward said… he said his father was married to someone else. You just don't seem like the type of woman to…"

"To be 'the other woman'?" she finishes with a grimace. "I didn't know he was married." My eyes widen. "I mean, I knew, but… he'd told me when I met him that he'd been separated from his wife for months and was in the process of getting a divorce. It was all over except for the formal papers, he said. Once I told him I was pregnant, I found out the truth — that he was still living with his wife and three young children and had never been separated."

"Oh… so Edward has three half-siblings," I realize.

"Yes, he does, though he's never met them. I doubt they know anything about him."

"That's sad," I frown. "He told me he couldn't imagine having a child out there somewhere who didn't know him."

"I'm so glad that he's stepping up, willing to be a father to his child, but… is that all it is? Or are you and Edward… together?" Esme asks.

I shrug, kind of wondering that myself. He's never said that we are, not exactly, but he's been so sweet and affectionate, holding my hand and hugging me… "We don't even really know each other. I mean, I know what I've read about him online, but…"

"He's a good boy, my son. He's still got some growing up to do, however," she adds, rolling her eyes.

I give her a small smile in return — can't really argue with that assessment.

"You look exhausted, dear."

"It's been a really long day. I'm just drained."

She nods as if she understands. "Edward, too, I think. I'd picked up on the fact that something was off with him over the past few days, but I never imagined that it was… _this_."

She pats my hand, then stands. "I'll go get the boys."

When the three of them return, I can see that Edward does look as tired as I do. "Mom said I should take you back to your dorm."

"That sounds good," I agree, setting my empty glass down a coaster and standing up. Once I'm close enough to Edward, he grabs my hand in his. "Thank you for understanding," I tell both of his parents.

"We'll see you on Sunday, Bella," Dr. Cullen says.

"Be back later," Edward calls as we head into the laundry room. We step into the garage and I climb into his car wordlessly, getting myself situated.

"Are you really ok?" Edward asks as he turns the key in the ignition.

"I'm fine."

He gives me the side-eye. "Now even I know enough about women to know that _fine_ is a bad word."

I give him a small grin. "Really, I am. Just tired."

As we drive back toward downtown, I stare out the window. It's nearly sunset and the sky is a brilliant pink.

"Can I come back to your dorm with you?" Edward asks out of the blue as he exits the freeway, breaking the long silence.

"Um, I guess so." I'm kind of surprised that he would ask.

"Do you know where I can park?"

"Um… I think they said during orientation that Lot 9 on Harrison Street has visitor parking. It's not too far from my dorm."

Edward nods, turning at the next corner. After he's parked the car, I point the way to my dorm. "I live in Courtyard," I tell him.

When we reach the main entrance, Edward has to sign in at the desk since it's after 7pm, then I lead him up the stairs to the second floor. I use my key to unlock one of the two main doors to our five-room cluster. "The bathroom is around the corner to the right, if you need it," I tell him, unlocking the door to Alice's and my room.

I hold up a finger, asking Edward to wait as I push the door open a few inches. "Alice? Are you here?"

"Yeah," she calls back.

"Are you decent?"

She giggles. "Yes."

Edward and I step inside, finding Alice in her favorite place in front of the mirror. "Hey," she says. "Don't worry, I'll be out of your hair in a minute, going to the Chicago Jazz Festival over at Millennium Park."

"Um, Alice, this is Edward Masen. Edward, this is my roommate, Alice Brandon. I don't think I introduced the two of you before."

"Hello," he says cautiously, given the look she gives him.

Alice straps on a pair of five-inch heels then picks up her purse, bringing the strap down over her neck.

"I hear you said some not-so-nice things to my friend on Tuesday," she says, still having to look up at him despite the sky-high heels.

"I apologized to her for that."

"Good. See that you don't do it again." And with that, she steps closer to Edward, bringing her knee up and planting it firmly between his legs.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So Edward managed to talk his mom down off the ledge. Esme is the woman we all know and love — and she confirmed once and for all the suspicions that Edward has been a player.

Who wants to high-five Alice?

Next update on **Tuesday**.


	10. Alice

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! The votes are in, and once again you all continue to be a violent lot. Out of 87 reviews, there were 65 pro-Alice, 5 who thought she went too far, and 17 who either didn't mention Alice, were neutral, or I couldn't figure out which way you were leaning lol.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

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><p><em>Chapter 10 — Alice<em>

Edward cries out, his knees buckling before he crumples to the floor. His face shows obvious pain as his hand cups his man parts.

"See ya later, Bella," Alice calls, waltzing out the door while I stand there in shock. I stare at Edward for a moment before digging through the box where I've stored my towels under my bed, looking for a washcloth.

"Where are you going?" he squeaks through gritted teeth as I move to the door.

"There's an ice machine down the hall by the vending machines. I'm gonna get you some ice."

"Ice?" His nose crinkles.

"I don't think you'll have a problem with shrinkage," I mutter, shaking my head as I step out into the hallway. Men are _such_ babies; I remember the last time Charlie was sick, the way he would lie on the couch for two days while I waited on him hand and foot.

I collect some ice from the machine, then make my way back to our room. I find Edward still on the floor, exactly as I'd left him.

"Here," I hand him the ice pack, trying not to laugh as he holds it to his groin. "Alice told me before we went to Navy Pier that she'd do that if you treated me badly, but I thought she was just trying to make me laugh."

He just grunts in response.

"Are you ok?"

"Women have _no_ idea how sensitive a man's balls are," he growls. I can't control the smile on my face — he really did kinda deserve that.

I cross the room to my bed, sitting down with a long sigh and leaning my head against the wall. Edward watches me from his place on the floor for a few moments before gingerly standing up and walking over to sit beside me. He puts the makeshift ice pack back in place, scowling a little.

"Do you have any beer?" he asks.

"Um, pregnant women can't drink alcohol. And neither Alice nor I are old enough. You shouldn't be drinking anyway if you're going to drive home. You can't stay — no overnight guests of the opposite sex."

He snickers a little. "You sound like a cop's kid." He sighs heavily. "If I close my eyes, are you gonna hurt me too?"

"No," I tell him softly. He must believe me, because he does close his eyes, giving me a chance to stare at him — though I feel a bit like a creeper. He's so, so heartbreakingly beautiful; his profile is just… perfection. And for a moment, I allow myself to picture a little green-eyed toddler, the spitting image of his father.

Suddenly, Edward peeks one eye open, looking over at me. "What are you thinking about?" he whispers.

"What our baby might look like."

He grins, pulling the ice pack away, then grimaces a little. "It's melting… looks like I wet my pants."

I slide off the bed, taking the washcloth from him, then step out of my dorm room to empty the remaining ice into one of the sinks in the bathroom. I wring out the water then head back into the room, hanging the washcloth to dry on our little drying rack.

I retake my seat beside Edward and he immediately puts his arm around me. Closing my eyes, I lean my head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent.

"I'm so sorry about earlier," he begins quietly. "I fucked up yet again. I should've told them before bringing you by to see them. I won't make that mistake with Emmett and Rose," he vows.

I don't respond — I agree with him, but I don't want to make him feel even worse.

"Your parents seem nice."

"They are," he sighs. "Mom's just sick of me being a fuck-up."

I smile, looking up at him. "You can always stop being a fuck-up."

Edward opens his eyes, grinning back at me. "You know, I think that's the first time I've heard you swear."

I scoot away from him, punching his arm lightly. He takes the opportunity to stretch out on my extra-long twin bed, lying on his side with his back against the wall. "You coming?" he asks, waving his hand.

I stare at Edward for a moment. Isn't this how we got into trouble in the first place?

"I won't do anything," he says, rolling his eyes.

Hesitantly, I lie down beside Edward, turning so that my back is to him. He pulls me back into his warm body, leaving his arm around my waist. I close my eyes, allowing myself to believe for just a moment that Edward wants both of us and that everything really _is_ going to be ok.

~*~*GN*~*~

I'm awakened by the very loud slamming of a door. Groggily, I rub at my eyes, sitting up. "What the hell, Alice?" I ask when I see her standing there.

"It's after 11 o'clock. He needs to be out of here before our RA finds him."

Edward sits up slowly behind me, glaring at Alice. "Come on," I tell him, "I need to walk you down and sign you out."

I stand up and Edward immediately moves to stand behind me. I giggle when I realize he's hiding his groin from Alice.

"Relax, Rock Star, I think I've made my point," Alice says, hand on her hip.

I shake my head, trying not to laugh again. "I'll be right back."

Edward and I step out into the hallway, then make our way downstairs to where the security guard is stationed. I sign him out then walk outside with him, standing awkwardly as I look up at him. I wonder if he's going to try to kiss me goodnight. Do I want him to?

"I'll be busy with promo stuff most of tomorrow, like I said earlier, but I'll text you Sunday before I come pick you up for dinner, ok?"

"All right," I nod.

"Do you need anything now? Money for anything?"

I start to tell him no, but then I remember. "I, um, can't button any of my jeans. I need to start buying some maternity clothes, I guess." I hate to ask Edward for money when he already paid for my appointment, but new clothes are definitely an unexpected expense.

Nodding, Edward pulls out his wallet, handing me two hundred-dollar bills. "Let me know on Sunday if it's more than that."

I stare at the money in shock. "Edward, I can't—"

"Take it," he says. "I promised I'd take care of you."

Feeling myself blush with embarrassment, I nod, staring down at my feet. Edward steps closer to me, hugging me briefly before kissing my cheek.

"See you Sunday." He walks off across the courtyard and I stand watching him for a moment before going back inside.

"So what happened?" Alice pounces the minute I enter our room.

I shrug. "We got something to eat and sat on the beach for a while, then he took me home to introduce me to his parents."

Her eyes widen minutely. "How did _that_ go?"

"It was ok… eventually." I really don't want to talk about it right now, so I decide to distract her. "So, want to come shopping with me tomorrow? I need to find some clothes that fit."

Alice's eyes light up. "Yes! We'll make a day of it downtown, ok? Oh my God, I saw so many cool stores downtown this afternoon, but all I bought was this purse," she says, holding up the bag she took out with her earlier.

I shake my head, smiling at her enthusiasm. "If I'm going to survive shopping with you, I think I need to get some sleep."

~*~*GN*~*~

After having breakfast in the Student Center on Saturday morning, I work on the homework and required reading from my first week of classes. Since I'm here on scholarship, I need to keep up a minimum GPA or else I'll lose it.

I work until lunchtime, then head back over to the Student Center with Alice for lunch.

"Ok, so while you were working, I did some online research for shops we can visit," Alice says as she sets her grilled chicken sandwich back on her plate.

"Of course you did," I mutter.

"Bella, you need to go shopping with a plan! This isn't just a recreational shopping trip."

I roll my eyes at her. "How'd you get so into shopping anyway? I didn't think Mississippi was such a hotbed of fashion."

"I'm from a suburb of Memphis though," she replies, as if that explains everything.

Once we've finished eating, we take the El train to the Chicago stop. "Ok, first we're going to Water Tower Place," Alice announces. "They have a maternity store called A Pea in the Pod. You're not ready for maternity tops yet, but we can get you some new pants that fit. And if my older sister is anything to go by, you'll need to go up a cup size in your bra soon."

I feel my face flush at Alice's assessment, but I know she's right — my bra has felt like it's been pinching me for the last week.

As we walk into the store, I have to stop for a moment to take a deep breath. This is real — I'm going to have a baby in six more months. I'm going to be a _mom_.

"Are you ok, Bella?"

"Just… give me a minute."

When I'm calm, I move toward the first rack of leggings. If I go one size up, I can probably keep wearing regular, non-maternity leggings, but I'm not sure for how much longer. And I only have two pairs, so I'll need to buy more of those, too.

"Oh my God, Alice!" I scream, looking at the $155 price tag on what looks like a normal pair of black leggings. "This store is too expensive."

She frowns when she sees it with her own eyes, leading me toward the back of the store. "Ok, we'll stick to the sale racks."

After some digging, I find a black pair and a gray pair on sale for $19.99 each, which is much more my speed.

At Alice's suggestion, I do check out the tops that are on sale, so that I'll have at least one when I'm ready for it. I hope to just wear my usual hoodies as long as possible though.

"This one's pretty," Alice says, holding up a light purple sweater.

"How much?"

She wrinkles her nose. "Still 70 dollars. It's cashmere," she shrugs, putting it back on the rack. When I find a cute blue sweater on sale for $19.99, I grab it, going next to the Lingerie section, where I pick up a couple of bras.

I move to pay for my things when Alice drags me over to a different section of the store. "Maternity designer jeans. You _have_ to get at least one pair."

Shaking my head, I start looking through the selections, but even on sale, they'll likely take a big bite out of the money Edward gave me.

"Ooh, look," Alice squeals. "Big Star! You have to get these."

I look at the price tag and immediately shake my head. "They're a hundred dollars!"

"You need one splurge. Come on, go try them on."

Sighing, I walk into the dressing room. I've never paid this much for a pair of jeans in my life, but I have to admit, they look really nice, in a medium blue color with straight legs.

"Do I win?" Alice asks, clapping her hands as I step out of the dressing room to show her.

"You win," I agree.

Alice is so excited that she offers to carry my bag for me as we walk up the street to the 900 North Michigan Shops. "I saw a store online called Preggers, so we have to check it out."

"What a stupid name," I complain.

This store has more baby items and not nearly as many maternity clothes as the last one. I eventually find a couple of items from the sale rack, though I've now spent well over the $200 that Edward gave me. I'm not going to take any more money from him though — I have enough in my account to cover this.

As we walk back south on Michigan Avenue, Alice and I stop at the Ghirardelli ice cream shop, ordering two huge hot fudge sundaes with sea salt caramel.

"This is so good," I moan. "Much more fun than shopping."

"Can't do this too often, or _I'll_ need to buy new, bigger clothes," Alice whines. I can't really feel sorry for her right now, though.

"I think there's a Forever 21 further down," she continues, "So you can probably find more leggings there."

"Ok," I agree. "They should work for another month or so, do you think? If I buy a size bigger?"

She shrugs. "My sister really didn't show until four months, and she was about your size, but who knows. Can you feel the baby moving yet?"

I look up at her in shock. "No. Should I?"

"I don't really remember when my sister could. Maybe within the next month?"

"Ok." I make a mental note to ask about that on Tuesday at my doctor's appointment. I don't know anything about being pregnant. There were a couple of girls in my high school who got pregnant, but they weren't among my circle of friends.

After we've finished our sundaes, we continue down Michigan Avenue, stopping off at a few of the trendier stores aimed at people our age. I find more leggings as well as a couple of flowy tops that aren't really maternity, but should cover me for several months.

I'm exhausted by the time we arrive back on campus, just in time for a slightly late dinner. Alice and I both get the chicken enchilada casserole and Mexican rice.

"So you never did tell me what all happened with Edward yesterday," she reminds me. "Start from the beginning — when he barged into your room. That was _so_ romantic, by the way… like a scene out of a Hollywood movie."

I roll my eyes at her dramatics. "Well, first he just wanted me to swear that it's his baby."

"He _what_?! I should've kneed him twice."

I can't help giggling a little. "Once he believed me, he told me how his own mother had been in a similar position once, and that if she'd made the decision to have an abortion he wouldn't be here today. He said he wants to be a part of the child's life and would help me."

"First thing he's done right in…"

"Ok, Alice," I warn her. "He took me to a neighborhood coffee shop to get sandwiches and stuff, then we went and sat on the beach to eat and talk."

"What did you talk about?"

"Just… everything," I shrug. "He apologized for last Tuesday, and for everything that happened when I first met him. I explained why I'm afraid to tell my dad, then he asked me to come home with him and meet his mom."

"So how did that _really_ go?" Alice asks with a grimace.

"When he first told her… she was disappointed in him for… for getting one of his sluts pregnant," I whisper. "But after he explained the situation, she was ok with it."

"How did he explain it?"

I shrug. "He told her alone… I don't know what he said. I think he probably told her I was a virgin."

"Shit, Bella! You didn't tell me _that_," Alice gasps in shock. "You said you got pregnant from a one-night stand, then later you said it was at this Grad Night thing. He took your virginity and got you pregnant? My knee might need to meet his balls a few more times."

"It's ok, Alice. I told you — he apologized for everything. He seems to be blaming himself, but I've gotta take some of the blame. I could've told him to stop at any time. I could've asked him to use a condom. I'm the one who fell for his sweet words and even sweeter kisses." I'm the one who was too worried about her father finding out to get the morning-after pill.

"How could any red-blooded female blame you?" she giggles. "Any girl with the opportunity would spread her legs for that sexy man — sorry to be crude. But really, who could resist him?"

I give her a small smile. "I couldn't. He was always my favorite member of the band. Despite the way he acted on Tuesday, he can be so sweet, Alice. I'm not really sure which personality is the real Edward though."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Edward's man parts survived! He had Bella to take care of him, and now they've gotten a little bit closer.

Which personality do _you_ think is the real Edward?

Next update on **Friday**.


	11. Sunday

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! Most of you think the "real" Edward is either the sweet one, or a combination of the personalities we've met. Let's meet Emmett and Rose!

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 11 — Sunday<em>

After breakfast on Sunday morning, I send a text to Angela, asking her to call me when she gets home from church. U-Dub is on a quarter system and she doesn't leave for college for another few weeks yet.

Alice talks me into going to the Student Recreation Facility to meet some of the other students. I look at the rock climbing wall and other sports-related things, but I know I can't participate. Of course, I've never been any good at sports, _anyway_.

It just feels so weird to me, interacting with my peers. In a few weeks, it's going to be obvious that I'm pregnant, that I'm not like them.

When my phone rings, I check the caller ID then excuse myself and go outside to answer it.

"Hey, Angela."

"_Hey. So… is it done?_" she asks hesitantly. "_I know you told me your appointment was Friday._"

"I'm keeping the baby," I tell her softly, sitting down on a bench.

"_Really?!_ _What happened to change your mind? I thought you were set on the abortion?_"

"The New Moons were in town this past week," I explain. "They filmed a music video at Navy Pier on Tuesday and I was able to talk to Edward. He… he offered to help me, Ang." I don't feel like getting into the whole long story with her over the phone.

"_He did?_" she gasps. "_So you got your romance novel after all?_"

"I wouldn't go that far," I caution her. "I guess we're… taking things slow this time, getting to know each other. I met his parents Friday night, and he's picking me up later for a family dinner at their house. Emmett and his fiancée will be there, too."

"_Bella, I'm so happy for you! Of course this is what I wanted, but _you_ had to be comfortable with your decision._"

"I want the baby," I tell her softly. "But I'm still processing everything, I think. My roommate, Alice, took me shopping for maternity clothes yesterday. And I have an appointment on Tuesday for an exam so I can start with prenatal care. It feels like this is all happening so fast, but I know it's been three months already. And Edward is leaving Tuesday afternoon to go back on tour until the middle of October."

"_Well, that's gonna suck._"

"Yeah…"

"_So, have you told the Chief yet?_" she asks.

"No. I have until December when we go on Winter Break to figure out how to tell him."

"_He's gonna flip._"

"It won't be pretty," I agree.

"Bella!" Alice calls, coming outside with a handful of other students. "We're gonna head over to the Student Center for lunch. You coming?"

"I gotta go, Ang. I'll give you an update later this week, ok?"

"_Sounds good! And make that boy work for it before you let him back in your pants._"

I laugh. "Sure, Ang. Talk to you later." I hang up then turn to Alice. "Sorry, my best friend from back home."

~*~*GN*~*~

I'm back in my dorm reading when my phone beeps with a text from Edward, letting me know he's on his way. It took over a half hour to get back here Friday night, so I know I have some time to get ready. I decide to put on my new outfit from Forever 21 and brush a little make-up on my face.

After Edward sends me another text to say he's just exited the highway and is waiting at the light, I head downstairs. A third text says he's waiting on Halsted so I walk around the building, easily spotting his black Porsche.

"Hi," I greet him as I slide into the passenger seat.

"Hey." He pulls away from the curb and I get a chance to ogle Edward in his Ray-Bans. Today he's in a blue and yellow plaid button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, worn open over an olive green t-shirt; I guess this is 'dressed up' for him.

At the next stoplight, he turns to me, lifting his hand off the gear shift to squeeze mine. "You look nice."

"Um, thanks," I reply, feeling my face flush. "Alice and I had a good shopping trip yesterday."

"Those are maternity clothes?" he asks, his forehead wrinkling.

"No, this is just the style these days," I enlighten him, picking up the flared-out bottom of my blouse. "But hopefully I'll be able to wear it for a few months, even after I start showing. I also bought some regular leggings, just a size bigger, and maternity ones for later."

Edward remains quiet as he makes his way onto the Kennedy Expressway, before turning to me with a grin. "Wanna see how fast this car can go?"

"Edward! You'll get a ticket."

"Nah… I have a radar detector."

I shake my head, but I can't help grinning at his enthusiasm.

"There's too much traffic to do this during the week," he adds as he changes lanes until we're on the far left. "Ready?"

He presses the accelerator and the car takes off like a shot. The cop's daughter part of me wants to tell him to slow down, but the 18-year-old in me is laughing and enjoying myself.

When the traffic gets too heavy, he's forced to slow down to something resembling the speed limit. He looks over at me and grins, reminding me of the carefree boy who rode Thunderhawk with me.

"What kind of Porsche is this?" I ask.

"It's a 911 Carrera S," he answers proudly.

"I probably don't want to ask how much it cost."

He shrugs. "Low six figures."

My eyes widen as I look around the inside of the car. I mean, it's a really nice car, but that's nearly as much as my dad's _house_ is worth.

"So, Emmett and Rose already know everything, right?" I ask as he exits the highway.

"Mostly," he shrugs. "I left out the gory details."

"And they won't hate me?"

Edward turns to look at me sharply. "Why would they hate you?"

"I don't want them to think I'm after your money." Especially now that I'm beginning to think that his 'I'm not rich' statement wasn't the complete truth. I mean, he has a $100,000 car!

"Bella, no one who gets to know you will believe that. I promise," he reaches over to squeeze my hand again before he has to shift gears.

"What kind of car does Emmett drive?" I ask curiously.

"He's got a bright red Corvette; Carlisle got it for him as a college graduation gift."

"Nice," I mutter.

"Do you have a car?"

"I _did_. I had a 1950s Chevy pick-up that used to belong to my dad's best friend. His son wants to be a mechanic and he fixed it up for me when I turned 16, but… it died at the end of June."

I feel a little embarrassed answering the question; Edward and I are from two different worlds. I know he didn't grow up with money, but he's probably been spoiled rotten since his mom got married to a _doctor_ four years ago, even before the band's recent success.

"Hey… it's ok, Bella. I drove a 1985 Volkswagen for several years."

"Really?"

"Really. You and I aren't so different, you know," he says softly.

After a few minutes, the streets start to look familiar. As soon as we turn onto the tree-lined street where his parents' house is, the butterflies start to have a party in my stomach. I really, really want Emmett and Rosalie to like me.

We pull into the garage and I get out of the car, nervously smoothing my top where it's gotten wrinkled up. When Edward sees me, he wraps his arms around me in a tight hug.

"I promise it'll go better than last time," he says with a small smile.

I take a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Ok, I'm ready."

Edward takes my hand, leading me into the house. I smell something amazing cooking before we even step into the kitchen.

"We're back, Mom," Edward calls. His mother appears to be making some sort of salad on the granite island.

"How are you today, Bella?" she asks warmly.

"I'm good, thanks," I answer quietly.

"Dinner should be ready in about 10 minutes. You two can make yourselves at home. The others are in the family room."

Edward tugs on my hand, leading me toward where Dr. Cullen is sitting with Emmett and Rosalie, watching a baseball game on the huge television. I try not to gape at the sight of the beautiful Victoria's Secret model. She looks like a young Heidi Klum, with long golden blonde hair.

"Emmett, Rose… this is Bella. Bella, this is my stepbrother, Emmett. I assume you met him at Grad Night?"

"I did," I nod.

"And this is his fiancée, Rosalie Hale."

"It-it's nice to meet you," I stutter.

"Hello," she replies in what seems like a cold tone of voice.

"Well, hey there, Bella," Emmett booms. "So you're the chick who tied my little brother in knots."

"Um, what?"

"Emmett!" Edward yells, making a cutting motion in front of his throat that his brother chooses to ignore.

"After that Grad Night show, he kept muttering to himself about this girl who got away, how he was kicking himself for not asking for her phone number."

I stare at Emmett in shock. Edward had really wanted my phone number?

"Ignore him," Edward says, rolling his eyes as he leads me to take a seat on the couch, next to his stepfather.

"So you're a fan, Bella?" Emmett asks.

"Yeah, I love your music," I reply with a smile. "Grad Night was my first opportunity to see you live."

"Are you going tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" I ask, brow furrowed.

"I forgot to mention it to you on the drive here," Edward begins quietly. "There's an afternoon of free concerts by local bands at Millennium Park tomorrow, for Labor Day. We're headlining. I thought maybe I could show you a bit of Chicago, then we could watch the other bands together before our set," he says, trailing his fingers up and down my arm.

"I didn't know anything about that!" I exclaim in shock.

"The list of artists has been kept a secret," Emmett interjects. "We just want people to come out and have a good time, regardless of what kind of music they like."

"That sounds like fun, Edward," I smile. Though I can't help wondering if he really _was_ planning on asking me to be there.

"Cool," he grins. "We'll figure out a time later. You don't have classes tomorrow, right?'

"Right," I nod. "No classes for the holiday."

"Dinner is ready, guys!" Esme calls from the kitchen.

Carlisle chooses the chair at one end of the table, with Emmett at the other end. Esme and Rose sit between them on one side, and once Edward has chosen the chair closest to his brother on the other side, I sit next to him.

Besides the salad, Esme has made a pot roast with carrots, plus sides of peas and mashed potatoes. "Everything looks delicious," I tell her.

"Thank you, dear," she smiles.

"Can you cook?" Edward asks, turning to me.

"Edward!" his mother admonishes him.

I can't hide my smile. "It's ok, Mrs. Cul—Esme. I'm a decent cook, thanks to my Home Economics class in middle school. I never make big elaborate meals though. I spent a lot of time learning different ways to cook the fish my dad would catch every weekend."

"Why doesn't your mother cook?" Rose asks.

"My, um, mother died when I was eight."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry," Esme says. "I didn't know that." She gives her son a pointed look.

Once we've all finished eating, I help Esme clear the table, then she suggests we all retire to the family room until we have room for dessert.

"That's a lovely outfit, Bella," Esme says as we take our seats.

"Um, thanks. My roommate took me shopping yesterday since I couldn't button any of my jeans anymore."

"Spending Edward's money already?" Rose asks. I cringe; this is exactly the type of thing I feared when I accepted the money from him.

"Rose!" Edward yells. "Yes, I gave her money to go shopping — so what? She's my responsibility now. I'm not going to abandon her. I'm not… I'm not my father," he finishes quietly.

"Are you actually showing yet, dear?" Esme asks after an awkward silence.

"Um… not really, I just seem to be thicker around the middle. And my stomach feels weird, like there's a hard little ball beneath the skin."

"Really?" Edward asks, turning to me. "Can… can I feel it?"

He holds his hand out hesitantly and I take it in mine, laying it over my abdomen. "That is so freaky!" I smile at his reaction. He looks up at me and smiles back, and for a moment, it does truly feel like we're in this together.

"Do you know when I should be able to feel the baby move, Esme?"

"Hmmm… if I remember correctly, it was somewhere around four months for me."

"Why are we acting like this is something to celebrate?" Rose shouts suddenly, throwing her hands in the air.

"A new baby is always a cause to celebrate, Rosalie," Esme answers promptly, glaring at her.

"She's barely out of high school! And now Edward's trapped with 18 years of child support."

I gasp. Does she think I somehow did this _on purpose_? To _trap_ him?

"Bella is not to blame, Rose," Edward says through gritted teeth. "I'm the one who seduced a virgin and didn't use a condom."

"So why didn't she get emergency contraception?" Rose asks.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So, was Emmett just teasing his brother, or do you think he was telling the truth? Was Rose out of line, or does she have a valid point?

Sorry this one runs a bit short. The next one is extra-long. There just wasn't a good place to cut it to even them out.

Next update on **Tuesday**.


	12. Whiplash

**Author Note:** Wow, what a response to the last chapter! There were 99 reviews, and all but two or three wanted to bitch slap Rosalie. Let's see what Bella does now that she's been put on the spot.

Thanks again to moosals, CozItRunsInMyBlood and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 12 — Whiplash<em>

"Rose," Emmett warns, putting his hand on her arm.

Edward turns to look at me and I can feel my face turning bright red. I swallow thickly, not knowing how I can explain myself. I know I don't _have_ to explain this to anyone, but I don't want any of them to think I got pregnant on purpose.

"Bella?" Edward prompts.

"I… I tried."

"What do you mean you 'tried,' dear?" Esme asks gently.

"I couldn't buy Plan B from the local pharmacy without my dad finding out," I explain, "So I planned to drive to the next closest town to buy it."

"Bella, you're 18 years old," Dr. Cullen interjects. "The pharmacist wouldn't be allowed to tell your father about your purchase. There are confidentiality rules."

"Maybe not, but what if someone overheard or saw me buying it? I'm from a town with 3,500 people. My dad is the Chief of Police so everyone knows him and knows who his daughter is. Word would've gotten back to him somehow, even if the pharmacist never said anything.

"Anyway, I was going to drive to Port Angeles the afternoon after Grad Night, but my dad was home, and I couldn't explain why I suddenly needed to make a two-hour round trip. I figured I could just go the next day, since he always goes fishing with his buddy on Sundays, but he was still home when I got up. I'd forgotten that his buddy's son was graduating that afternoon and we'd both promised to go to the celebration."

I look up at the others helplessly. "I couldn't skip school on Monday due to finals, so I planned to go after school. I thought I'd just call in sick to my job, but… I didn't know how to explain to my boss that I couldn't go to work but was well enough to be in school, without arousing suspicion.

"I'd looked up the chances of getting pregnant from one encounter on the internet, and it said there's a three to five percent chance. That didn't sound too high, so… " I shrug, feeling pretty stupid right about now. I bite my lip, nervously twisting my fingers together in my lap.

"I'm not an OB/Gyn," Dr. Cullen begins, "But I think you may not have understood what the three to five percent probability represented."

"What do you mean?" I ask, brow furrowed.

"Well, as you probably know, a woman is most fertile on roughly days 12 to 14 of her menstrual cycle, so there's around a ten-percent chance of any particular… encounter falling on one of those days. Pregnancy only occurs 25 to 50 percent of the time that sperm and the egg are present together.

"To determine your individual chance of getting pregnant from that one unprotected encounter, you'd have needed to factor in the timing of your cycle."

I stare at Dr. Cullen for a moment. Why didn't I think of that? "I—I just remember last getting my… my period in May," I reply, feeling my face blush bright red talking about this.

"I didn't do it on purpose, Edward," I cry, turning to where he sits silently beside me. "I swear I didn't! I took a stupid gamble because I thought the chances were so low."

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice the smug smile on Rose's face across the room, and I just want to punch her for ever bringing up the topic.

"I believe you," he says quietly, running his finger down my face before turning toward his parents. "Like I told you guys Friday night, Bella was planning to get an abortion because she didn't know how to get in touch with me. What I left out was that I found her at the goddamned clinic with a nurse about to stick a needle in her arm! She was going to go through with it if I hadn't intervened — this was not some plot to trap me."

There's nothing but silence for a few moments before Esme speaks. "Is your father still unaware of your pregnancy, Bella?"

"Yes," I whisper, hanging my head. "It'll break his heart when he finds out."

"I'm sure he'll come around, dear. With your mother's death, you're all he has."

"And that's exactly why he's always been so overprotective," I explain. "He wouldn't let me date until I turned 18, precisely so I wouldn't end up pregnant in high school the way he and my mom did."

Esme frowns. "I'm sure your father did what he thought was best, but… how can a young girl learn how to conduct herself socially if she isn't given the chance to spread her wings somewhat?"

"I was terrified when Edward asked me to go on the rides at Wild Waves with him," I admit. "I probably hadn't been alone with a boy since middle school."

"And when faced with my charming, handsome son…"

"You were easy prey," Edward finishes, standing up angrily from his seat beside me. He tugs at his hair then spins around and slams his fist into the leather cushion. And then he stalks out of the room.

I turn and watch as he heads toward the gorgeous spiral staircase just visible in the foyer. A part of me wants to go after him, but I'm not sure if I should, if it's my place. Biting my lip, I turn back around to face the others, my stomach in knots.

"We should hear his keyboard in a minute," Emmett says nonchalantly. "He always writes music when he's upset."

"Should someone… go after him?" I ask tentatively.

"Nah," Emmett shakes his head. "He'll work it out."

"I'm sorry, Bella," Esme says, looking at me sympathetically. "Are you all right?"

I nod silently, though I'm not really sure I am.

"Didn't you make cheesecake, Esme?" Emmett asks after a short silence.

She laughs quietly at his attempt to change the subject and lighten the mood. "Yes, I did. Is that your way of saying you're hungry for dessert now?"

Emmett pats his belly, smiling widely.

Esme stands then looks over at me. "Would you like to help me, Bella?"

"Um, sure." I follow her into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry about Rosalie," she whispers to me. "She's quite protective of her loved ones and thinks of Edward as her little brother. Or maybe she's just a bitch — sometimes I'm not sure," she adds with a wink.

"You believe me, don't you?"

"I do," she nods. "What's done is done and we need to make the best of it. Even when times were tough, I never once regretted the decision to keep my baby." I smile a little, hearing that.

Esme points me toward the cabinet with small plates and the silverware drawer as she removes the cheesecake from the fridge. When the first two plates are ready, I carry them to Emmett and Rosalie, trying to make nice with her.

"You're all right, Bella," Emmett smiles, "Bringing me the first piece and all."

Now that I'm in the family room, I can hear the faint sounds of music coming from upstairs. I hope Edward is all right.

Esme cuts four more slices then hands two plates to me. "When you're finished, why don't you take a piece up to Edward?" she suggests.

"Um, ok."

"His bedroom is the last one on the right."

I nod, starting to carry the plates into the family room. I set Edward's down on the end table beside me and cut into my cheesecake.

"Mmm," I moan as I bite into the piece. This is heaven on a plate. "Is this turtle, Esme?"

"Yes," she smiles. "Emmett's favorite."

"It's really good. I'd ask for the recipe, but we only have a small kitchenette in my dorm."

"Did you choose to attend college in Chicago because of Edward?" Rose asks.

I stop eating for a moment and look straight at her. "No, Rosalie, I made the decision to attend UIC six months before I ever met Edward. They offered me a scholarship that would pay for my entire tuition, and I couldn't turn that down."

"But what about your room and board? Did you have to take out student loans you're going to be looking for Edward to cover?" she persists. I want to wring this girl's neck. Or maybe pull out her hair — one strand at a time.

"Rosie—" Emmett begins, but I cut him off.

"Not that it's any of your business, but my dad set up a savings account for me to use for college with the life insurance benefit we collected after my mom was killed. He and my mother had me shortly after high school graduation and were never able to complete their education; he wanted better for me." And that is why I am so terrified of disappointing him.

I finish my last few bites of cheesecake while the others sit in stunned silence, then pick up Edward's piece and stand. "I'll take this to Edward now."

I climb the grand staircase, eyeing all of the family photos on the wall of both Emmett and Edward. I stare at one particular photo of Edward where he looks like he's barely able to stand on his own two feet. His hair is actually blond and he's sporting an enormous grin. I can't help smiling at the thought that my own baby could look like that. In another photo, Edward is sitting at an upright piano, grinning at the camera with his two front teeth missing. I remember reading that he starting playing at the age of four. Will my child have his musical ability?

When I reach the top of the staircase, I turn right, noticing that his door is closed. Does this mean I shouldn't enter?

I hesitate for a moment, then knock carefully before pushing the door open. Edward is seated at an electronic keyboard, across the large, masculine bedroom which is anchored by an enormous king-sized bed. I can't help wondering how many women he's had in it.

"Edward," I call, unsure if he heard me knock. I don't want to startle him. I cross the room until I'm within his peripheral vision. I notice he's got a notebook on his lap, where he's transcribing the notes that his other hand is playing.

After about 20 seconds, he stops, looking up at me.

"Your mother said I should bring you this," I tell him softly.

"Grab the chair from over by my desk."

Still holding the plate, I pull the chair over to rest beside Edward's chair. I guess he wants me to sit down.

"My hands are busy," he says with a teasing wink.

I frown for a moment, not sure what he's getting at. Then I cut a piece off of the end of the slice, bringing the fork to Edward's mouth. He startles me when he snaps his mouth around it, licking his lips when he's finished. He grins, then turns back to his keyboard, playing a few more notes with his left hand and transcribing them with his right.

I watch in confusion as his mood seems to have done a total 180 from the guy who stalked out of the family room. Maybe the music made him feel better? I cut off another piece, bringing it to his mouth the next time he stops playing, and he swallows that as well.

A few minutes later, the plate is empty. I look around for a place to set it, finally just setting it down on the floor.

"Can I hear what you've been working on?"

Nodding silently, he places both hands on the keyboard and begins playing an angry melody. I can feel the emotions just pouring out of the song. I can't believe he wrote this just in the short time that he's been up here.

"I hope that's not directed at me," I joke when he's finished playing. He shakes his head, still not speaking. I kind of regret asking him to play for me, since his mood now seems to have swung back around. He seriously gives me whiplash.

Very tentatively, I reach out, caressing the top of his hand. "I don't blame you, Edward," I whisper.

"Maybe you should."

My heart beating madly, I slowly trail the same hand up his arm and his shoulder until my fingers are buried in the soft hair above his ear. It's my turn to comfort Edward for a change. He closes his eyes, sighing in what I hope is contentment as I scratch his head lightly. Being so close to him, touching him… none of the bad things matter anymore.

Suddenly his eyes spring open and he grabs my wrist, pulling it away. Before I can even blink, he's tugged me forward until I'm straddling his lap. "You really shouldn't have done that," he growls.

The moment his lips touch mine, I'm right back on that tour bus, right back to that girl who would do anything he says. My mouth opens instinctually now and his tongue caresses mine. His left arm winds around me, pulling me close, while his right hand buries itself in my hair, allowing him to turn my head just the way he wants so that he can deepen the kiss.

"Fuck, baby," he moans, moving to kiss along my jaw down to my neck. "Why can't I resist you?" I whimper a little as he begins sucking on my neck.

"I _knew_ it was too quiet up here!" Emmett's deep voice booms out. Edward stops what he's doing immediately, and we both turn to look over at his brother standing in the doorway.

"Your mom sent me up to collect your plate so she could start the dishwasher," he adds, a twinkle in his eye. "Good thing you can't get her _more_ pregnant," he snickers.

"Emmett!" Edward yells.

Grinning the entire way, Emmett crosses the room to where I'd set the plate on the floor, picks it up then leaves without saying another word.

As soon as he's gone, Edward closes his eyes, sighing. He stands both of us up then lets go of me, taking a few steps back.

"I should take you home."

"I-I can stay. I mean, I don't have to be up early tomorrow for class," I shrug. I really, really want to get back to what we were doing, though Angela's warning to make him work for it rings in my head.

"Carlisle has an early shift tomorrow. I don't want to make too much noise and keep him up." He walks over to the nightstand next to his bed, picking up an iPod, then walks right past me on his way to the door. I follow silently.

"I'm gonna take Bella home," he announces, barely stopping on his way to the kitchen.

"Thank you for dinner, Esme," I call to her.

"Wait up a second, please, Bella." She proceeds to the wet bar where she's set her purse, pulling out her phone. "Could I get your number? I'll call your phone then so you have mine. Please call me if you need _anything_ while Edward is out of town."

I recite the digits, then press ignore when my own phone rings a few seconds later. "Thank you for everything."

"Of course, dear. You're part of the family now," she adds with a smile.

In the car, Edward plugs his iPod into the stereo system. "We won't start real work on our next album until we get off the road, but I recorded some ideas I've had. You can listen," he says, pressing PLAY.

"Wow, thank you!"

He just shrugs, backing out of the garage. I'm honored that Edward would let me hear his ideas, but as the minutes tick by, I start wondering if he did this so he didn't have to talk to me.

The music ends just as he exits the interstate downtown. "Those were amazing, Edward," I gush. "You are so talented."

"As least I can do something right," he mutters. I decide to ignore the implications.

"So what's the plan for tomorrow?"

"Is ten too early? I thought I'd come get you and we could go up Willis Tower, so you can get a feel for the whole city. Unless you've already done that?"

"I haven't," I reply softly. "That sounds great."

He nods. "After that we can head over to Millennium Park. I think the first band is on at one. We come on stage at seven. I'll make sure you have a good seat," he grins.

"Can Alice come too?" I ask. "She's a fan as well."

"It's free… anyone can come."

"I mean in the good seats." I roll my eyes.

"Tell her I'll save her one if she promises to stay at least two feet from me at all times."

I giggle. "You're not still mad at her for that, are you?"

"What do you think?" he asks, giving me a crooked grin as he pulls the car over to the curb.

"Thanks for bringing me to dinner," I tell him as I open the door. "Your parents and brother are great."

"Sorry about Rose; she can be a real bitch." Can't argue with that.

I wave to Edward as I step out of the car and close the door. As I head toward my dorm, I can't hold back my grin.

Edward _kissed_ me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So Bella stood up for herself a little bit there!

And Edward kissed her. Oh dear.

Next update on **Friday**.


	13. Chicago

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! Lots of readers still wanting to bitch slap Rose! And the rest of the family.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 13 — Chicago<em>

"Alice, you have to help me!" I whine, staring into my half — more like third — of the closet on Monday morning. "This is kind of like… a date, you know? I need to look good."

"How did you dress yourself before I came along?" she asks, beginning to flip through my tops.

"I didn't really care what I looked like," I shrug. But this is _Edward_.

"Here," she says, handing me a long, form-fitted top. "You could still fit in this easily." I slide the top over my head, pairing it with one of my new pairs of leggings. I stand in front of the mirror, turning to the side as I study my figure.

"You're not showing yet," Alice says. Relaxing a little, I brush my hair and put on some light make-up.

"Edward said they're on at seven?" Alice asks, as we sit in the Student Center eating breakfast 15 minutes later.

"Yep," I confirm. "He promised to save us good seats."

"Do you think if I show up early I could hang with you guys?" she asks nonchalantly.

"You mean with Jasper?" Alice sticks her tongue out at me. "Edward's still pretty mad about what you did to him Friday night. He might've warned Jasper to stay away from you."

"Edward had that coming to him," she growls.

"He did," I agree. "But I don't think _he_ sees it that way."

Just as I'm finishing up my scrambled eggs, my phone beeps with an incoming text. I can't help my smile when I see the message. "Edward says he's just parked his car." I text back that I'll meet him in the courtyard outside my dorm.

I say goodbye to Alice, then stand outside the main entrance while I wait for Edward. Alice kept bugging me last night about what had happened at the family dinner, but I never did tell her about the kiss we shared in Edward's room. Somehow, I don't think she'd be happy about it.

Even from a distance, I can easily spot Edward walking across campus toward me. There's just something about the way he _walks_ that makes him stand out from the other students, though he's more or less the same age.

As he gets closer, I can't help my smile. He's wearing black jeans and a light blue button-down shirt with short sleeves, untucked. It looks like it might be a soft denim. He's also wearing his Ray-Bans, and a baseball cap, turned backwards, covers his trademark hair.

"Good morning," I greet him with a smile when he walks up to me. I have to hold myself back from throwing my arms around him in a hug.

"Hey. Um, do you mind if we walk? Willis Tower is only about a mile from here."

"Sure," I nod. I've got my usual Chucks on, so walking is no problem.

As we start north on Halsted, I notice that Edward has his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans. He normally holds my hand when we walk together, and I can't help wondering if the change is on purpose. But why would it be?

He remains silent as we cross over one of the multi-lane interstate highways and then turn right to cross over another one. My left hand fidgets, wanting to reach out and grab his, but it's still in his pocket.

I struggle for something to say to start a conversation. "Um, I've never heard of Willis Tower."

"Have you heard of the Sears Tower? The tallest building in the Western Hemisphere?"

"Oh, yeah, sure."

"Same thing. It was renamed around 2009 when some company called Willis became the largest tenant."

"How tall is it?" I ask.

"Something like 110 stories, I think. Over 1,400 feet."

"Wow!"

"Yeah… you can see like four states on a clear day. Probably too many clouds today though. There's another tall building that allows visitors, the John Hancock Center, but it's further away, off Michigan Avenue."

"So we're going to go up to the top?" I ask, excited.

"Almost. Visitors can go up to the Skydeck on the 103rd floor," he explains. "And you can stand on a glass ledge and look down at the city below. It's pretty cool."

Edward remains silent for the next couple of blocks, before sighing as he takes off his cap and runs his hand through his hair.

"So… I'm sorry for what happened last night," he begins, placing his hat back on his head.

"Why does Rose hate me so much?" I complain.

"What? Oh… she doesn't hate you personally. That-that's not what I meant though. I meant… I'm sorry for kissing you."

My eyes widen. Could he not tell that I liked it? "It's all right, Edward," I tell him softly.

"No. It's not. I shouldn't have done that."

"Really, it's _fine_," I assure him.

"I just… don't want you to get the wrong idea. I don't want you to think I'm trying to get sex from you or something. It would probably be an easy conclusion to come to, given the way I behaved when I first met you.

"I won't do it again."

My brow furrows. He doesn't mean _ever_, right? I mean, last night he said he couldn't resist me. He probably just means he won't kiss me again until we get to know each other better. Taking it slow, like I told Angela earlier.

We cross the Chicago River and Edward points out Willis Tower, just up ahead. We follow the signs to the entrance to the Skydeck on Jackson Boulevard, then take the elevator down one level.

As we join the line to buy tickets, we pass through some exhibits that explain facts about the tower and its construction more than 40 years ago. I'm fascinated by the engineering that went into this place.

"Do you want to watch the video?" Edward asks after he buys our tickets.

"Sure," I nod. We choose two chairs together in the small theater and I yearn to reach out and take Edward's hand, but I don't. I miss the feel of his skin.

After the _Reaching for the Sky_ video, we walk toward the elevator that will take us up to the Skydeck. Edward eyes me carefully as we step inside. "It goes up really fast," he warns me. "Hope you don't get sick."

"I'm fine," I tell him with a small smile.

In no time at all, we're exiting the elevator; he wasn't kidding about how fast it moves. I run toward the nearest window, looking out at the view of Chicago to the south. Edward points toward the lake, "Over there is Solider Field, where the Chicago Bears play. And Shedd Aquarium is right on the water."

"Can we go there?"

He shrugs. "Not today. Someday, I guess. Come on." He places his hand on the small of my back, leading me toward the windows facing to the east.

"Millennium Park is over there. Still up for walking when we're done here?" I nod, smiling. He's standing much closer to me now and as usual, he smells amazing.

"Oh wow, so many tall buildings," I remark as we look out the windows to the north. Chicago is just so huge compared to Forks. There's no comparison.

"See that dark building with the antenna on top? That's the John Hancock Center," Edward says. "Or I think it's called 360 Chicago now," he adds.

"It looks pretty tall, too."

"Yeah… the observatory is on the 94th floor, so only nine floors lower than this one," he shrugs.

"And this building right in front of us? That's where Mom works." I nod, feeling a little bit comforted that she truly will be close by if I need anything while Edward is out of town.

He leads me toward the west-facing windows and I'm confused to see several lines of people forming in front of the windows.

"What's going on there?" I ask pointing toward the closest line.

Edward smiles — his first smile of the morning. "That's so you can go out on the glass ledge."

We walk up to the windows and I easily spot the circle interchange right near campus. "Look!" I yell excitedly. "There's my dorm."

"Yeah," he smiles. "And if we had binoculars, we could probably spot my car in the lot over there." I turn to Edward and smile. "See the big white circle straight ahead? That's the United Center, where the Bulls and Blackhawks play. Someday we'll headline a concert there," he adds wistfully, before clearing his throat.

"So you want to step out on the ledge?"

I nod eagerly and we join what looks like the shortest of the four lines. As we wait, I giggle at the couples who are posing together while standing on the glass floor. Some of them even sit on the glass while their friends snap photos of them.

"Can we do that?" I ask, feeling a little bit like Alice as I bounce on my feet.

"Do what?"

"Get someone to take our picture!" Duh!

"Yeah, sure." I pull my phone out and when it's our turn, I ask the young mother standing behind us if she'll take a photo of Edward and me.

Unlike the younger girl in front of us, I'm not the slightest bit scared stepping out onto the glass. Edward and I wind our arms around each other, and the woman snaps a photo.

"Want to sit?" I ask him excitedly. "You can't tell what we're doing if we're just standing here."

Rolling his eyes, Edward gracefully lowers himself onto the glass floor then pulls me down onto his lap. I'm startled for a moment, but it doesn't take long for me to recover, smiling big for the camera.

Much too quickly, we stand up again and step back to allow the next people in line to have a turn. I get my phone back, then return the favor and take a photo of the woman who took _ours_, together with her two small children.

Edward tugs at my hand, leading me through the crowd and back around toward the other side. "Want anything from the gift shop?" he asks. "There's one downstairs, too."

"I don't know what to get," I remark, looking around at everything. Dad and I never traveled much, so it's not like I have a thing about buying shot glasses or salt and pepper shakers, or whatever else people collect on their vacations.

"You can get a t-shirt to commemorate standing on the ledge," Edward suggests with a grin.

Having not seen anything I actually want to spend money on, we head back to the elevator to go downstairs. Outside, I'm all turned around as to which direction is which. It's too close to noon for the shadows to help, and so many tall buildings make me feel a little bit like a mouse in a maze.

"This way," Edward says, his hand on my back. "It's another mile or so to Millennium Park."

"That was really neat getting to see the whole city. Thanks, Edward," I tell him with a smile. He just shrugs in response, stuffing his hands into his pockets again.

"So do you want to get some lunch before the first band comes on?" he asks a few minutes later.

"Sure, yeah. Now that I'm not throwing up half the day, I seem to be starving all the time."

Edward frowns, looking over at me. "I'm sorry you were sick," he mumbles. "How did you manage to keep that from your dad?"

I shrug. "Most days he was out of the house before I woke up."

"I made us reservations at Pizano's for later, since it's just a couple of blocks from the park. We can eat there before we need to do sound check."

"Pizano's?

"Chicago-style pizza," he clarifies. "Not the most famous one, but it's pretty good anyway. I figured we could just grab something light for lunch at Panera Bread, ok?"

"Um… that sounds good, but I don't know Panera."

"Seriously? It's a chain; they're everywhere."

"I'm from a town with 3,500 people, Edward," I remind him. "The only chain restaurant we have is Subway."

"Seriously? Wow… I hate Subway; their sandwiches are nasty." He shudders and I can't help laughing at him.

"You said something once about moving to Forks after your mom died. Did you live in a larger town before that?" Edward asks.

"We lived in Seattle. But I was eight — eating out was McDonald's or Pizza Hut to me."

Edward shakes his head, smiling a little. "We never had the money to eat out when I was little," he says softly. "It was a rare treat."

He clears his throat. "There's Pizano's, right over there," he says, pointing across the street.

"I know Chicago pizza is famous, but I haven't tried it yet. I'm looking forward to it," I smile.

Right on the corner of Michigan Avenue is Panera Bread. We walk inside and I look up at the menu, deciding to get a half salad and soup.

Edward carries our tray over to a table in the corner, sitting so that he's mostly facing the corner. He pushes his sunglasses up on top of his head, over the hat he's been wearing all day. Suddenly I wonder if he's trying to keep from being recognized.

"Do fans spot you a lot?" I ask quietly.

He shrugs. "Sometimes, but really only when we're in Chicago. Seth is the most visible band member since he's the lead singer, so he'll have people coming up to him sometimes when we're on the road, too. The rest of us don't really get that."

"The hat is…"

"Yeah, I didn't feel like being bothered today," he replies with a smile.

We eat in silence for a few minutes before Edward finally speaks. "You got out of your small town sometimes, I hope?"

"Not really," I reply, setting my spoon down. "Most of the time we never went any further than La Push — that's the Quileute Indian reservation where my dad has several friends. It's on the ocean, so we'd go down to the beach a lot. And maybe if we needed something we couldn't buy in Forks, we'd drive up to Port Angeles, which is about an hour away.

"Dad never went back to Seattle," I add softly. "And he didn't want me to go, either."

"Was Grad Night your first time back?"

"Second. I went with my friend Angela when she toured the U-Dub campus."

"What's U-Dub?" he asks curiously.

"The University of Washington's Seattle campus. That's where Angela's going, but I wanted to go further away."

"Be honest now… you really didn't decide to go to UIC because of me?" he asks. I can't figure out if he's teasing or not.

"I really did decide long before I ever met you!" I chuckle. "I won't deny that I knew The N—you guys were from Chicago," I admit, trying not to say the band's name out loud in case anyone is listening to us. "But it's a huge city; it's not like I ever expected that I'd be able to meet you if I came to school here.

"I didn't… I didn't even think I'd get within 20 feet of you at Wild Waves."

Edward frowns, tossing his napkin onto his empty plate. "You would've been better off if you hadn't gotten any closer." He sighs, pulling out his phone and typing out a quick text while I finish my salad, unsure of what I can say to make him stop this self-loathing.

"The guys are over by Crown Fountain," he tells me, "So we'll go when you're done."

"Ok," I whisper, not really looking forward to meeting the rest of the band members again. What kind of interrogation am I going to face _this_ time?

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So, Bella and Edward are getting to know each other. Doing things a bit out of order.

What do you think is up with Edward in this chapter? Will Bella be 0-for-3 with meeting Edward's family and friends?

I like round numbers — can we reach 1,000 reviews?

Next update on **Tuesday**.

* * *

><p>My one-shot <em>The Fourth Floor<em> is up for Top 10 Completed Fics for September 2014 on TwiFanfictionRecs. If you haven't read the story, go check it out, then toss a vote or two my way!


	14. Millennium Park

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! We blew away the 1,000 review goal! Several different theories behind Edward's behavior in the last chapter. _Some_ of you hit the nail on the head, but I won't say which of you!

Thanks to Nic and The Lemonade Stand for the rec yesterday!

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 14 — Millennium Park<em>

I fidget nervously as we stand on the street corner, waiting for the light to change.

"Stop worrying so much," Edward scolds me. "It'll be fine."

"You said that the last two times you introduced me to someone."

He sighs loudly, removing his cap to brush his hand through his hair again. "You're right; I was wrong about the reaction I expected us to get. But the guys are cool."

"W-will Rose be there?"

"Probably," he shrugs. "I think Emmett said she leaves for New York tomorrow for a photo shoot. Don't worry, I won't let her be mean to you again."

We cross the street when we get the walk symbol, then turn to the right. I easily spot the rest of the band near the fountain, even though they're dressed as casually as any of the locals and tourists walking around. My face falls a little when I see Rose standing next to Emmett.

"Hey," Edward calls as we near them. "This is Bella. Bella, this is Seth and Riley," he says, pointing them out as if I didn't already know. "And you remember Jasper and Emmett."

"H-hello," I greet them nervously.

We check out the fountain, with these almost creepy rotating photos, then Emmett wants to go see what he calls "The Bean."

"Whoa, that is so cool," I exclaim when I see the mirrored sculpture that is indeed shaped like a bean.

"I think it's actually called Cloud Gate or something," Edward says with a shrug. I pull out my phone, taking a photo of the two of us reflected in the sculpture. Emmett walks right up to it, making faces, and I can't help laughing at him. I like Emmett.

"The Pavilion is back here," Edward says, touching my arm lightly. We walk to the lawn area behind the seats, and Riley and Seth set down the cooler they were carrying. Jasper pulls a couple of blankets out of a bag, spreading them out in the grass. I wait for Edward to sit, then let him pull me down to sit in front of him, between his legs.

"Seth, can you hand me a beer?" Edward asks.

"It's only one o'clock!" I chastise him.

"So? A cold beer is refreshing on a hot day," he replies, taking the beer from Seth. "I think there's a few bottles of water in there, too."

"I'm good right now," I tell Seth, and he closes the lid. "I can go sit up in the real seats when you guys are on stage, right?" I ask Edward, turning around to talk to him.

He nods, taking a long drink of his beer. "The front rows are reserved, so yeah."

I smile at him. "Your show at Wild Waves was the first concert I ever saw."

"And you were ruined for life, right, Bella?" Jasper asks, winking at me.

"Definitely," I agree. In more ways than one.

The first band soon comes on stage and while they're not as good as The New Moons — of course — they're still pretty good. It's a nice afternoon to sit outside and enjoy some music.

The third band is a hard rock act, and I'm not real keen on them. Edward can tell I'm not enjoying it as much, so he stands up, offering to walk around with me for a bit.

Our first stop is a botanical garden behind the lawn that's really pretty. From there, we walk across a pedestrian bridge and through Maggie Daley Park. It's interesting listening to Edward as he points out things from his hometown to me.

By the time we head back to the lawn, he's holding my hand again. I really missed the feel of his skin, no matter how weird that sounds. We sit back down and enjoy one more act before Edward announces that we need to go for our dinner reservations.

"What about us?" Emmett asks, hand over his heart.

"You aren't invited," Edward answers quickly.

"Fine, fine…" He waves us off and I laugh.

Reaching Pizano's Pizza and Pasta a few minutes later, we're led down some narrow stairs to a lower level, where at least it's much quieter than upstairs near the bar. I order just an ice water then look over the menu.

"What kind of toppings do you like?" I ask Edward.

"Anything," he shrugs. "We can get whatever you want."

I decide on their Brickhouse special with sausage and mushrooms, handing the menu to our waitress after ordering.

"So," I begin, clearing my throat, "Tell me about growing up here?"

Edward frowns. "What do you want to know?"

"I just want to understand who you are," I reply with a shrug.

"Well, I told you we didn't have much money."

"Your mom had a job though, right?"

"Yeah, but she didn't make a lot of money. And she spent way too much of her paycheck on rent, so there was never much left over. She could've found a cheaper apartment, but she wanted me to attend a better school district. Everything she ever did was for me… " he trails off.

'"That's why you have a Wonder Woman tattoo for her," I realize.

"Yeah," he smiles.

"Here's your appetizer," our waitress interrupts, setting down the tray of spinach artichoke dip.

"Dig in; I got that for you," Edward says.

"For me?"

"Yeah, you know? Healthy food." He shrugs.

"I don't think spinach artichoke dip is healthy," I giggle, spooning some onto my plate along with a handful of tortilla chips.

"Sure it is," he insists. "There are two kinds of vegetables in there!" I giggle again at his silliness.

"Once Mom realized I had a talent at the piano," he continues, "She put every spare cent into piano lessons for me."

"How did she find out you could play?" I ask curiously, munching on a chip.

"One of our neighbors used to watch me sometimes while Mom worked. She had a small upright piano, and one day I sat down at it and tried to copy the song that was playing on the radio."

I smile, imaging a tiny Edward sitting at the piano, just like in the photo at his parents' house. "Do you remember the song?"

"_Let It Be_," he answers. "Oldies station, I guess," he adds with a shrug.

"Do you know if your dad had any musical talent?" I ask carefully.

"No idea. Mom has never really talked about him."

"And you never asked?"

"No," he sighs. "I always got the feeling it hurt her to talk about him."

I nod in understanding. "My dad never liked to talk about my mom either. But at least I remember some things about her."

"Oh, by the way… Mom cornered me when I got home last night to find out what you'd meant when you said your mom was 'killed.' I, um… I hope it's ok that I told her."

"It's fine," I assure him.

Edward sighs, pushing his sleeves up, and I get a glimpse of that tattoo on his right bicep.

"Will you tell me now what that one means?" I ask, gesturing toward his arm.

"It's for my dad," he says quietly. "He's like this big mystery to me. The tattoo is symbolic of imaginary or mysterious things. See?" he says, holding his arm out for me and rolling the sleeve up. "There's a unicorn and a dragon falling into a black hole."

"It's beautiful." The urge to reach out and touch it is strong, but I resist.

"The Celtic cross on my chest is for my mom's family from Ireland."

"So you've represented you, your parents and your family," I realize.

"Yep," he nods. I wonder if he'll add a tattoo for our baby, but before I can ask, our waitress drops off the pizza. We only ordered a small but when I see the size of the pieces, I'm not sure if the two of us can actually finish it. Edward helps by lifting one of the pieces onto my plate for me.

"This is really good, Edward," I exclaim, trying not to talk with my mouth full.

He smiles. "If you didn't like it, I was gonna wonder what's wrong with you. You might even have to leave Chicago," he jokes.

"Do you ever get nervous when you go on stage?" I ask him a few minutes later, seeing him check the time on his phone.

"Nah," he shakes his head. "Seth does sometimes. It's like his recurring nightmare that he'll suddenly forget the words to all of our songs."

Edward has to finish the last piece from my half of the pizza. We decline dessert, even though a huge chocolate chip cookie baked in a pizza pan and smothered with vanilla ice cream sounds amazing.

While he's taking care of the bill, I get a text from Alice, telling me that she's just gotten off the El at the stop closest to Millennium Park. I let her know where we are, and that we'll meet her near the Pavilion.

"She's gonna stay away from me, right?" Edward asks as we stand waiting to cross the street.

"I told her to behave," I promise him.

Alice walks up shortly after we've joined the guys behind the stage, and I introduce her to everyone. When the last band finishes their set, roadies begin switching out the equipment. The New Moons start doing their sound check and I watch from backstage with Alice while Rose wanders off to get a drink. She has completely ignored me all day, and I'm grateful.

"She's beautiful, but wow, what a bitch," Alice says as soon as Rose is out of hearing range.

"No doubt." And I didn't even tell Alice half of what Rose said last night.

"Did you have fun with Edward today?" she asks, waggling her eyebrows.

I feel myself blushing, even though nothing actually happened. "We're getting to know each other, like we should've done in the first place."

"I still think he has a lot to atone for, but… I hope you guys can work it out. Obviously it'll be better for the baby if its parents can at least get along."

Once sound check is over, the guys return and I can feel the excitement building in the air. I wish Edward good luck, then Alice and I use our special passes to sit in the front row. I'm thankful when Rose chooses a seat in the next section over.

"Ladies and gentleman," the announcer yells, "Please welcome, Chicago's own… The New Moons!"

I stand up from my seat, cheering and clapping as the band takes the stage. Edward has removed his baseball cap, but otherwise is dressed the same as he has been all day. I still find myself mesmerized watching him, even after all I've been through over the last three months.

Nearly two hours later, the crowd stamps its feet after two encores, trying to get the band to come back for one more song. The guys come back on stage looking shocked and maybe a little bashful. Seth steps up to the microphone, waiting for everyone to quiet down a little bit.

"We don't have any other songs prepared, but, uh, Edward wants to sing something for you guys," he says to the stunned crowd.

My mouth hangs open in shock. I've heard Edward sing background harmonies, of course, but never lead vocals. He starts off singing a cappella, before his keyboard joins in with a plaintive melody. His voice is gorgeous; he's talented enough to sing lead himself. On the second verse, Emmett begins joining in on the drums, then the other instruments come in as the song builds to a crescendo.

The lyrics he's singing are almost a poem, filled with so much imagery that the subject isn't immediately obvious. But by the end, when he's begging his god to forgive him, I realize what it's about: us.

When the song is over, I can't control the few tears that slip out of my eyes. I look over at Alice and she gives me a sad smile — she understood what he was singing about as well as I did.

The guys leave the stage again and the lights come on. After Alice and I have shown our passes, the security guard lets us into the backstage area. Finding Edward leaning against the wall drinking a beer, I throw my arms around him without even thinking about what I'm doing.

He crushes me to his body with his free hand and I cling to him, trying to let him know that it's ok.

"I'm so fucking sorry, Bella," he whispers.

"I know," I assure him. "I know." Standing on my tiptoes, I place a soft kiss on his chin and he sighs, pulling away slightly so that he can take another drink.

"That's not the same song from last night," I realize.

"No," he chuckles sadly. "I started writing that one last Tuesday. Last night's isn't finished."

"You know I forgive you, right?" He looks at me sharply, the bottle held frozen against his lips. "I can't let you take all the blame, not when I could've just spoken up and stopped you. It's time for you to forgive yourself."

He sighs, closing his eyes. "I don't deserve you," he says quietly.

"Of course you do."

He shakes his head, a rueful grin on his face. "Come on," he says, tossing his empty bottle into the trash, "Let's get you back to your dorm. You have class in the morning, right?"

"Yeah," I nod.

"We'll get a cab, all right? Alice can come, too."

I look around for my friend, finding her chatting with Jasper. "Alice," I call. "We're gonna catch a cab back — you coming?"

She nods, saying something to Jasper before walking over toward us. Edward leads us out to Michigan Avenue, holding up his hand at the curb to hail a cab. After a couple of minutes, one finally stops for us. Alice slides in first, with me in the middle next to Edward.

I'm pressed completely up against him, and the heat from his body feels so good. Edward's hand brushes against mine where it's resting on my leg and he entwines our pinkies, smiling down at me. I almost don't want the cab ride to end.

The cabbie drops us off on Harrison, and after Edward has paid, the three of us climb out. Alice leaves for our room right away, winking slyly at me. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet a little bit.

"So… your appointment is at 11:30, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'll try to pick you up around 11:15, maybe? Depending on traffic."

"Ok," I reply softly.

"Do you want me to walk you to your dorm?" I nod happily — I made the mistake of turning him down once.

It's not really all that far to the entrance… unfortunately. When we get there, I look up at Edward, wondering if it's ok to hug him goodbye.

Or kiss him. I really want to kiss him.

"Thanks for today," I tell him, biting my lip as I silently beg him to kiss me. "I had a good time."

"Me too. See you in the morning," he whispers, placing a soft kiss on the side of my mouth.

Sighing, I watch him walk away before opening the door with a goofy grin on my face.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** The plot thickens… I imagine that Edward's song sounds a lot like Iron and Wine's _Flightless Bird, American Mouth_.

Now what do we think is going through Edward's head? Any changes to your previous theory? Is he going to freak out when faced with the reality of the situation at her doctor's appointment?

The next goal is to pass Cheeky (1,203) and Inside Out (1,234) in reviews, but I know that'll take at least a couple of chapters.

Next update on **Friday**.

* * *

><p>My one-shot <em>The Fourth Floor<em> is up for Top 10 Completed Fics for September 2014 on TwiFanfictionRecs. If you haven't read the story, go check it out, then toss a vote or two my way! Four more days to vote!


	15. Appointment

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! I have to post this here since it was my favorite review to the last chapter: "ok, the song got to me. his balls might be safe now."

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

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><p><em>Chapter 15 — Appointment<em>

While talking with Alice on Saturday evening, she reminded me that students have the option of getting health insurance through UIC as part of their CampusCare program. When I first registered for school last spring, I had declined coverage since I knew I would still be covered as a dependent under the policy my dad has through his job.

First thing on Tuesday morning, I go to the campus Student Affairs office to explain my situation and am thrilled to hear that I can change my mind about health insurance coverage until September 12. I fill out the Reinstatement Application Form and pay the fee for the semester.

The two Family Medicine Centers associated with the school will handle basic health care, but not full maternity care. My appointment later today will be covered by my insurance so long as I speak to someone at the center first for a referral and pre-approval. I'm so grateful that I don't have to ask Edward to pay for this — or risk my father finding out — that I will happily jump through all of their hoops.

I don't start to feel terrified until I'm standing in the street after my morning class, waiting for Edward to pick me up. There's no turning back now.

When the Porsche pulls over to the curb, I slip inside, buckling up quickly. "You look nervous," Edward says.

"Pretty much terrified," I admit, looking over at him. He looks beyond edible in a gray, v-neck t-shirt, with just a touch of fuzzy hair peeking out. He reaches over to squeeze my hand, and I feel a little better. I'm not alone in this.

It's not far at all to the MercyWorks clinic in the Loop. Edward parks in a lot nearby and we walk over to the building together. Inside, I give the receptionist my name and she hands me a long form to fill out.

As I sit down and start writing out my medical history, Edward tries to comfort me, reaching over periodically to rub my arm. He really can be totally sweet sometimes. Even if he wasn't Edward Masen the rock star, I think I'd still have a crush on him.

"Ms. Swan?" I stand up, my heart beating so fast that I feel like I'm going to pass out.

"Can, um, can… he come with me?" I'm afraid to say Edward's name in a room full of people.

"Sure," the nurse smiles. "But he'll have to step out at some point."

On the way to the examining room, the nurse has me stand on a scale where she can also measure my height. She notes the numbers on my chart, and we continue on to the room, where she puts a small device over one of my fingertips. "This will measure your temperature and your heart rate," she explains. After taking my blood pressure, she hands me a small container for a urine sample, showing me where the bathroom is located across the hall.

Edward waits in the examining room for me, and after leaving the cup in the designated spot, I return to find him alone in the room. He sees me practically shaking and hugs me — making everything right in the world. "Everything's going to be ok, Bella."

"Ms. Swan?" a pretty blonde woman calls as she enters the room. "I'm Dr. Gerandy." Edward lets me go, scrambling to sit down in a chair across the room.

"H-hello," I greet her nervously. "You, um, can call me Bella." She doesn't look much older than me, but she must've completed medical school a few years ago to have her own practice.

"So, you're about 15 and a half weeks pregnant?"

"Yes," I nod.

"And this is the baby's father?" she asks, looking toward Edward.

"Yes, he is."

We spend some time going over my medical history before she asks about my parents. I explain that Charlie takes high blood pressure medication, but is otherwise healthy. I hesitate before mentioning that my mother died over 10 years ago, but I'm not aware of her ever having any health issues.

"And you?" she asks, turning to Edward. "How old are you?"

"Um, I'm 22," he answers and she makes a notation on the chart.

"Any medical issues with you or your family?"

"None that I know of," he replies. "I, um, don't know my father at all."

"Bella, you said you've had no prenatal care at all to this point?"

I nod, feeling slightly ashamed. "I wasn't planning on keeping the baby. I've been taking prenatal vitamins since Friday though."

"This wasn't a planned pregnancy?" I shake my head. "Birth control fail?"

"More like lack of birth control," I reply quietly, a little embarrassed.

"So you didn't use a condom," she clarifies.

"Right."

"Have you been tested for STDs?"

My eyes widen as I stare up at the doctor. I don't want to think that Edward could have some sort of sexually transmitted disease, but he has obviously slept around, so…

"She doesn't need to be tested for anything," Edward says, sounding a bit angry.

"No? Neither one of you has had any previous partners?" He opens his mouth, then closes it again.

"I haven't," I answer softly.

"I've always used condoms," he states firmly.

"Have you ever been tested?" He hesitates, shaking his head. "Then I recommend testing you, Bella. You'll need to have some blood drawn anyway, so I can add an STD screening to the orders."

"Ok," I whisper.

She nods. "I'll put in an order on your chart and you can stop by the lab downstairs on your way out. It shouldn't take long. Now, you wrote that you've never had a pap smear?"

"I've never been to a gynecologist," I admit, feeling myself blush a little. I'm sure Charlie never wanted to think about his daughter and _that_ kind of doctor in the same sentence.

"All right, why don't we take care of that next?" The doctor hands me a gown, telling me to put it on so that the opening is at the back. "Your boyfriend will need to step out. It'll just take a few minutes."

I think about correcting her, that Edward isn't really my boyfriend, but I remain silent as the two of them leave the room. I quickly change out of my clothes and hop up onto the table, waiting for the doctor to come back.

When she returns, Dr. Gerandy explains the process for the pap smear. She has me place my feet into stirrups and slide forward.

"I'm just going to take a small swab from your cervix, all right? This may feel cold and a little uncomfortable, but it shouldn't hurt."

I try to focus on something else, not what the doctor is doing. I can imagine it's only going to get more and more invasive and embarrassing as my pregnancy progresses though.

"All done," she smiles. "You can slip your underwear back on and we'll do an ultrasound. You really should've had one a few weeks ago."

"Can Edward come back in?" I really want him to be able to see our baby, too.

"Of course," she nods. "I'll have someone get him."

Once he returns, the doctor spreads some gel on my stomach just as the nurse at Planned Parenthood did last week. "Normally one of our techs does this," she smiles. Edward holds tightly to my hand as she places a wand against my stomach. This time I know the sound of the baby's heartbeat as it fills the room.

"There's your baby," Dr. Gerandy smiles as she points to the screen. I'm surprised to see that the shape actually does look somewhat like a baby, much more than I'd expected. I chance a peek at Edward to see him staring at the image on the screen.

The doctor takes some measurements, writing down some notes. "Does everything look ok?" I ask nervously. What if my lack of prenatal care has somehow damaged the baby?

"Yes, everything looks great as far as I can see," she answers with a smile.

"Can you tell if it's a girl or a boy?" Edward asks curiously, still staring at the screen.

"Not quite yet; it's a little early. For sure by the next appointment."

"Is that really its heartbeat?" he asks. "It seems so fast."

"It is fast, much faster than an adult's, but that's perfectly normal," she assures us.

The doctor prints out a couple of pictures for us before finishing up. I smile when Edward takes one of them.

"Can you tell the due date?" I ask as I sit back up.

She looks at a calendar, then nods. "Based on the date of conception and the measurements, I'd say February 22nd, but that's always a rough guess. Babies arrive whenever they want to, and first pregnancies often go longer."

She gets out a pad of paper, writing something down before handing it to me. "This is the prenatal vitamin that I'd recommend. It's available over the counter."

"Ok," I nod.

"Unless there are any problems, I'll need to see you again about every four weeks until you're around 28 weeks, when you'll need to start coming in more often," Dr. Gerandy explains.

I frown; Edward won't be back in Chicago yet in four weeks, and I'm sure he'd like to be here when we find out the sex.

"Any other questions for me?"

I shake my head. "All right. Here is some information so you can prepare for the ultrasound next time," she says, handing me a piece of paper. "You'll need to drink plenty of water beforehand so we can get a good look at your baby.

"I recommend that you go to your campus health center for a flu shot as soon as they're offered. And remember to stop by downstairs so we can get a few vials of blood. You can take care of the co-pay with the receptionist."

As soon as the door closes behind the doctor, I breathe a sigh of relief — it's over. I pick up my stack of clothes then look at Edward pointedly.

Rolling his eyes, he turns around and starts doing something with his phone while I hurriedly get dressed. "Ready," I call out when I'm done, but he's still playing with his phone. "Edward!"

He holds up the phone as he turns around. "We have two off days, the first two days of October, if you can get your next appointment then," he says. "I could fly back and be here."

"Really? You'd do that?"

"Yeah, of course," he replies.

At the receptionist's desk, I'm able to schedule an appointment for 3pm on October 1, allowing Edward to be here when we find out the sex of the baby. I give her my new CampusCare insurance card and Edward pays the $15 co-pay for the visit.

"Only $15?" he asks quietly as we walk out.

"Oh… yeah, I forgot to tell you. I managed to get health insurance through the school this morning."

"How much did _that_ cost?"

I sigh. "It was $471 for the fall semester. I don't need you to pay for it."

"I'll give you the money later," he insists.

Downstairs, I stop off to let a nurse take what seems like half the blood in my body. I'm thankful when she lets Edward hold my other hand and distract me while she's working.

"All done," she says, placing a bandage on my left arm. "Someone will call you if there is anything to be concerned about." She hands me a bottle of fruit juice, telling me to drink that so I don't get too light-headed.

Edward grins at me as we step outside. "You looked like you were gonna pass out."

"I hate the smell of blood."

"Better now?" he asks, wrapping an arm around me.

I look up into his green, green eyes and smile. I'm always better when he's touching me.

"There's a taco place up the street if you have time for lunch," he suggests.

"Ok, sure." Edwards grabs my hand, leading the way. "When do you have to leave?" I ask him.

He shrugs. "Pretty soon after I drop you off. It's not too long of a drive to Indianapolis though."

"And then you go… toward the East Coast, right?" I cringe internally, realizing I might sound like a stalker fan again.

"Yep," he nods. "Toward the Northeast, then we wrap back around through the Southeast."

We order our tacos at the counter, then Edward carries the tray over to a table. The place is filled with businessmen in suits, so we're probably safe from him being recognized.

"So you got health insurance through the school?" he asks.

"Yeah, Alice reminded me about the option I'd turned down months ago… before I ever knew I'd need anything more than being covered as a dependent under my dad's policy."

"See?" he says with a smile. "It's not as hopeless as you'd thought."

"True," I admit. "I wasn't exactly thinking clearly."

"You don't really believe I… have anything, do you?"

My brow furrows for a moment before I realize what he's asking. "I don't know, Edward. Your mom pretty much confirmed that you're a player."

"I've always been careful," he responds right away. I notice he didn't deny it though. "I would never have put you in danger like that."

I raise one eyebrow — he put me in danger of getting pregnant!

"Look," he sighs, "I'm glad you're being tested so it's one less thing for you to worry about. But you're fine, I'm sure of it."

Once we've finished eating, we walk in silence back to Edward's car. He starts to open the passenger side door for me, then stops, hugging me to him. I wind my arms around his neck, just soaking up the feeling of being in his arms.

When he slowly pulls away, he tucks my hair behind my ear with a small smile. "Promise me you'll call my mom if you need _anything_."

"I promise."

"I'm sorry I can't be here," he says softly. "But I'll be back before you know it."

"I understand, Edward."

"Ok," he sighs, "In you go." He opens the car door, making sure I'm safely inside before closing it.

The drive back toward my dorm is much too short. I want more time with Edward. I've only been hanging around with him since Friday, but I'm already sure I'm going to miss him. I try not to cry as I imagine the next four weeks without him.

"Here we are," he says, pulling over to the curb to drop me off.

"Will you text me tonight that you made it safely?" I feel kind of pathetic asking, but…

"Sure I will," he smiles, squeezing my hand as he kisses my cheek. "Take care of yourself and our baby." He tenderly brushes away a lone tear and I hurriedly unhook the seatbelt before I really start crying. I climb out of the car, waving to Edward as he drives away.

Taking a deep breath, I head toward my dorm. _I can do this._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Some of you suggested way back in Chapter 3 or 4 that Bella should be tested for STDs. There you go. :)

Edward left without any kind of discussion about where their relationship stands. What do you think is going to happen while he's on the road?

So, there are 1,115 reviews as of posting time. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to pass _Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happy Endings_, which has 1,203 reviews, before the next update. Five chapters so far have gotten at least 89 reviews, so it is possible!

Next update on **Tuesday**. Edward will be back before you have a chance to miss him, I promise!

* * *

><p>My one-shot <em>The Fourth Floor<em> is up for Top 10 Completed Fics for September 2014 on TwiFanfictionRecs. If you haven't read the story, go check it out, then toss a vote or two my way! Last day to vote!


	16. Birthday

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! So we have theories ranging from: Edward will be faithful, Edward might try to get with a few groupies but be unable to go through with it (or they do nothing for him), to Edward's behavior isn't going to change at all.

**Bonus! Early update.** Please see the note at the bottom.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

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><p><em>Chapter 16 — Birthday<em>

The next couple of weeks without Edward pass with little incident. He sends me a text every night before he goes on stage, sometimes even takes a selfie for me after the show. God, he looks good dripping with sweat.

I'm getting my required courses out of the way, so I'm only taking one English class this semester. I've never been great at math, so I spend a lot of time in the library working on my Calculus homework.

My old leggings are now retired until after the baby is born, but I can still wear the newer pairs that are a size bigger. I'm not obviously pregnant, at least to someone who isn't looking for it. At least, no one has said anything to me.

I'm sitting in the Student Center having a late breakfast on September 13 — my 19th birthday — when Alice gives me an evil grin.

"So I may have planned a little get-together for your birthday," she says nonchalantly.

My mouth drops open in shock. "How did you know it was my birthday?"

"I saw your driver's license the day we went shopping together," she replies with a shrug. "Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?"

"Maybe because I don't like to celebrate it?" It's not like turning a year older ever got me any new privileges from my father.

"Are you serious?" she gasps in shock. "I love my birthday. It's the one day out of the year when everything is about me."

I shake my head, but I can't stop the smile that takes over my face.

"So I invited some people to go out to Giordano's for dinner, then back here to the Student Center so we can go bowling and stuff. Nothing big," she assures me. "I knew you wouldn't want to hit the bars."

"We're not old enough to hit the bars."

"Oh please, Bella," she sighs, "Everyone knows the bouncers let all the pretty girls in."

"Whatever. You're right that I don't want to go to a bar and be the only one not drinking."

"When do you plan to tell people you're pregnant?" she asks curiously.

"When they ask?" I mean, am I supposed to just make some big announcement? It's really no one's business.

"Bella," she rolls her eyes.

"I just… don't know what to say if anyone starts asking questions — like who the father is. I mean, Edward isn't super-famous, but… I shouldn't just go announcing it to people without talking to him about it first.

"And then there's the little issue of him not really being my boyfriend. I'll look like a slut."

"Stop that," Alice scolds me. "Having sex once in your life does not make you a slut."

"Even when it's with someone I'd met a few hours earlier?"

She shakes her head. "I still maintain that no woman in her right mind would be able to look at him and blame you."

"I thought you were all about Jasper?"

"Jasper is the sexiest mofo on the planet… but Edward's a pretty close second, I have to admit. He just doesn't have that Southern accent going on that Jasper does." She sighs dreamily.

"You're from the South — you're not really supposed to think Southern accents are hot, are you?"

She grins, then sticks her tongue out at me.

"Does Edward know it's your birthday?" Alice asks suddenly.

"No, I never told him the exact date. I told his mom it was in September though, if he was paying attention."

"You should've told him! Maybe he could've flown back to surprise you."

"No, they have a show tonight in Boston," I explain. "He'll be back for my next doctor's appointment. And then their tour is over about two weeks after that."

"So what's going on with you two?" Alice asks nosily.

I shrug. "We haven't really talked since he left. I know he's busy; I don't want to bother him." I don't miss the disapproving look that Alice gives me.

~*~*GN*~*~

Alice and I have no classes together, but she somehow managed to find my study group from Biology and invite them out with us, along with the six other girls in our dorm cluster.

Since it's a Saturday, we meet at the Giordano's a few blocks from campus at 5:30, before they get too crowded for a group of 12. We order three different kinds of appetizers and three large pizzas to share.

"So, Bella," Jane, one of the girls in our cluster asks, "Did I see you get out of a black Porsche a couple of weeks back?"

I'm sure I look like a deer in headlights for a moment. Could I lie and say it wasn't me? I'm sure lots of girls have long brown hair.

"Must've been someone else," I dismiss her.

"Hmmm…" Shit, she doesn't sound convinced.

As we walk back to the Student Center, after stuffing ourselves with deep-dish pizza, I find myself walking beside Tyler, a really nice guy from my study group.

"That was rude of her to put you on the spot like that," he begins.

"It's fine," I shrug in response. If I make too big of a deal out of it, it'll seem like I have something to hide.

"I mean, you're from the West coast, right? How would you have met someone in Chicago who drives a _Porsche_ in only your first week here? I doubt it belongs to a student."

I smile; it _does_ sound kind of ridiculous.

When we reach the Student Center, Alice has signed us up for a party package with two hours of unlimited bowling for $10 per person. We get our rental shoes then divide into three teams of four bowlers each.

It's so funny to see the fashion-forward Alice wearing totally _unfashionable_ bowling shoes. And I can't believe she's risking breaking a nail… or three.

I choose a pretty yellow ball that weighs only seven pounds, afraid that bowling with something heavier than that could be harmful to the baby. I'm not athletic in the least, but Forks does actually have a bowling alley, so I've bowled with my dad over the years. I still can't even bowl my weight though — can't get a spare to save my life.

After bowling, we move to the billiards room, splitting each team of four in half. I've never played much pool before and I'm beyond awful. I don't even know how to hold a pool cue.

"Sorry," I apologize to my teammate after flubbing the shot yet again.

The next time I'm up, Tyler offers to help me. He places my fingers around the cue, showing me exactly how to position them, then stands behind me as he helps me to line up the shot. At least I _almost_ hit a ball that time.

Alice comes over to me as I stand against the wall drinking my Coke — I'm treating myself to yummy chemicals today since it's my birthday.

"I think Tyler likes you," she whispers.

"What? No! That's ridiculous."

"I don't think so, Bella. He looked mighty cozy with you a minute ago."

"He was just trying to help me not suck at this game."

Alice raises one eyebrow, shaking her head. "You are so oblivious sometimes. I have no idea how you managed to get naked with Edward."

"Shhhhh!"

When our hour is up with the pool tables, we move to the arcade. Now this I can handle. When I need a break after an hour or so, I get myself a bottle of water and take a seat on one of the couches.

"Come on, Birthday Girl," Tyler yells, walking over to me.

"Sorry, the birthday girl is tired."

He smiles, sitting down beside me and clearing his throat. "So, um, would you want to go out with me sometime?"

My eyes widen as I stare at him. Shit, Alice was right. "You-you mean like a date?"

"Yeah," he smiles.

I stare at Tyler for a moment longer. He's cute, with curly brown hair, and he seems pretty smart, but…

"I can't, Tyler," I tell him softly.

"Why not? You don't have a boyfriend, do you? I mean, I assumed if you did, he'd be here tonight. Unless… unless he's still back home? Or at another school?"

I open and close my mouth a few times. Part of me wants to tell Tyler the truth, but what if he thinks badly of me?

"There is someone," I admit, "Though our relationship isn't exactly defined. He's out of town right now, but he'll be back in a few weeks."

Tyler's brow furrows in confusion. "If you guys aren't official or anything, you could still date me."

"I…" I shake my head. "I really don't think you want to get involved with me."

"You're not, like, a serial killer, are you?" he jokes. His smile disappears when I just continue to stare at him.

"I, um, haven't made some big announcement about this, but… I'm pregnant."

His eyes widen, then glance down toward my stomach. "It'll be obvious soon," I tell him. "I'm at 17 weeks, almost halfway."

"Wow… that's about the last thing I expected you to say." He moves slightly away from me, as if it's somehow catching, and scratches his head.

"So this guy…"

"The baby's father," I confirm with a nod.

Tyler sighs, nodding his head, before his brow furrows in confusion again. "From the timing, you must've gotten pregnant long before you came to Chicago. But your boy—the father is from here and is out of town right now? Or did you mean he's moving here from Washington?"

I sigh, closing my eyes. "It's a long story, Tyler — one I'd really prefer to not get into. He is from Chicago though; that's all I can say."

"Jane wasn't mistaken about seeing you getting out of a black Porsche, was she?" he realizes.

"No," I whisper.

"Well, I can't compete with that," he says with false enthusiasm, standing up and clapping his hands together.

"I'm sorry."

He shrugs. "Guess I was a few months too late."

~*~*GN*~*~

Two and a half weeks later, the day of my next doctor's appointment has finally arrived. Edward had a show in Birmingham, Alabama, last night, but was flying back into Chicago this morning.

I sit in my afternoon class — Calculus — trying to pay attention to the professor, but it's tough. I'm so excited to see Edward again in just a couple of hours.

I'm also scared shitless of his reaction to me.

My stomach popped out a week ago. Like, _really_ popped out. Any hope of continuing to wear non-maternity pants flew out the window.

The weather has gotten cooler, so Alice took me out shopping again last weekend. I got a couple of black, long-sleeved stretchy tops that I can fit underneath the stylish flowy tops we bought last time out so that I can continue to wear them now that we've moved into Fall. And I got a winter wool coat with what Alice called an empire waist. It only buttons across the chest, so my growing stomach will be able to fit under the tighter part. I hope.

I've been wearing hoodies all week, but I dressed up a bit today because of, you know… Edward. We still haven't really talked since he's been gone, and I just have no idea how he's going to react to the fact that I now _look_ pregnant. Since his bad reaction the day I told him of my pregnancy, he's always appeared remarkably calm about all of this. Even seeing the baby on the ultrasound didn't faze him, but I'm so afraid that this might.

The day after my birthday, I started to feel this weird sensation in my stomach. At first I was convinced that I just had gas or something, and it was my fault for drinking that Coke. But after a few days of that, I realized that I was feeling the baby moving around.

I feel it move all the time now, several times a day. Alice keeps touching my stomach trying to feel it but she can't yet; it's really pissing her off.

When class ends, I stand up then immediately have to sit back down. I lean my head on my hand, closing my eyes, hoping for the dizziness to pass. This is the second time this has happened now; yesterday morning I nearly passed out when I got out of bed. Alice got on the internet for me and found something that said I need to change position slowly, but it hasn't become second nature yet.

Finally I start to feel a little better, so I stand up again — slowly this time. I'm the last one out of the room. I try to dodge a few raindrops as I walk across campus on my way back to my dorm, convinced that everyone is staring at the pregnant girl. They're probably not, but I can't stop the feeling.

I freshen up a little in my room and start working on my homework, drinking a bottle of water — the paper the doctor gave me last time said to drink 32 ounces of water prior to my ultrasound — while I wait for word from Edward. My appointment is at 3pm and it doesn't take long to get over there, so I know I have some time. As the minutes tick by, I get more and more anxious though.

I nearly jump out of my skin when I hear the ping of my phone. His text says he's just exiting the highway and will pick me up on Harrison. I quickly run a brush through my hair and head downstairs.

Thankfully the rain has stopped but it's still cloudy and gray. I wait along the curb with a fresh water bottle until I see the Porsche pull over. Smiling hugely, I open the door and climb inside. "Hey, Edward," I greet him.

"Hey." He's facing straight ahead, but then he must get a glimpse of my stomach out of the corner of his eye, because he suddenly turns to stare at it.

And I get a look at the huge black bruise surrounding his left eye.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So Bella has a potential love interest and Edward has a black eye. What do you think happened to him? Most creative response will be recognized in the next update.

This update is early for a few reasons, but for one, you all met the review goal and then some, reaching 1,221 at posting time to pass _Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness_. Thanks for all of the feedback and support! Next to be passed is _Inside Out_, but it has 1,236, so not even a challenge.

Next update on **Tuesday**.

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><p><em>The Fourth Floor<em> finished 9th in the voting for the Top 10 Completed Fics for September 2014 on TwiFanfictionRecs, so thanks to all who voted! My little one-shot competed against the big boys.

* * *

><p>Exciting news, I also have some nominations in the TwiFic Fandom Awards. <em>The Fourth Floor<em> is nominated for Favorite Ficlette (one-shots), while _Inside Out_ is up for Favorite All-Time Fic, Boomerang Fic and 5ever Fic. Round 1 voting begins today (Sunday) and runs through November 8. You can vote once a day, so I'd really appreciate some votes! I doubt _Inside Out_ stands a chance in a popularity contest, but _The Fourth Floor_ might be able to make it out of Round 1. Here is the voting link: (bit .ly/1hd9SPF), just remove the space. It's also linked in my profile.


	17. Visit

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! Hope you all enjoyed the bonus update on Sunday. Lots of theories about how Edward got his black eye! I cracked up at how many thought a female was responsible.

Tally: 25 — Emmett or another band member (or Rose) caught him flirting/cheating; 23 — Edward was defending Bella against Rose, another band member or their manager; 11 — Edward tried to get with another man's girl; 7 — jealous or spurned groupie; 5 — Tyler had something to do with it; 3 each — Edward was talking bad about Bella, random fight, and Charlie; 1 each — Esme, crowd surfing, fangirl riot, hit his eye on a doorknob, tripped, paparazzi's camera, accidentally kneed himself while dreaming about hurting a guy hitting on his daughter, and used too much lube while jacking off and hit himself in the eye.

So there ya go LOL.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 17 — Visit<em>

"Oh my God, what happened to your eye?" I gasp in shock.

Edward shrugs. "We were wrestling and I got hit with a stray elbow."

"It looks like it hurts." I reach up instinctually to touch it but he pushes my hand away.

"If hurts if you touch it." He shakes his head. "Sorry. You can see it later." He settles back into his seat then pulls out into traffic as soon as it's clear.

"Did you have a good flight?"

"Yeah, it was fine — if you don't count the three-hour delay thanks to that fire in the air traffic control center a few days ago."

I wrinkle my nose. "Thank you for flying back for this," I tell him quietly. I'm still a little bit amazed that he would do this.

"Why wouldn't I? We're in this together, Bella." He reaches over to squeeze my hand while we wait at a stoplight and instantly I feel better. I've really missed Edward.

Once he's parked the car, I climb out, waiting for him to walk around to my side. As he nears me, he stares down at my stomach. "So when did that happen?" he blurts out.

"Last week."

"Really?" He looks up at me.

I nod. "Pretty much one day it wasn't there and the next it was."

Without saying another word, Edward takes my hand, leading me toward the building. I give my name to the receptionist, then take a seat with him in the waiting area, trying to finish my water bottle. I am seriously going to need to pee soon.

Edward's hand moves to my stomach as soon as I'm settled. I watch his face as he absorbs what he's feeling beneath his hand. He seems to be almost in awe.

"Can I look at your eye now?" He sighs, scooting his face closer to me.

I brush my finger tentatively along the edge of the huge bruise. "Whose elbow?"

"Emmett's." I wince a little; Emmett is a big, strong guy.

"I'll bet your mom freaked out when she saw you. Or hasn't she seen it yet?"

He chuckles a little, nodding. "Mom picked me up at O'Hare. She wanted to take me to the ER, afraid something's broken. I talked her into letting Carlisle look at it tonight, though."

"Ms. Swan?" The nurse calling my name ends any thoughts I had of trying to kiss it better.

Edward stands up right away, looking at me strangely when I try to stand slowly. He takes my hand, pulling me up, then follows the nurse back to the hallway.

"Are you ok?" he mouths to me. I nod, giving him a small smile.

I have to stop off at the scale again, not surprised to see that I've gained five pounds since my last appointment. Inside the examining room, the nurse checks my temperature, pulse and blood pressure.

"We'll get a urine sample after the ultrasound," she says.

"Again?" I question.

"We'll probably need to get one on each visit," she explains. "We need to check for glucose, which could be a sign of gestational diabetes, and also albumin, which is a protein that could indicate preeclampsia."

"What's that?"

"Pregnancy-induced high blood pressure," she explains.

Someone steps into the room just as the nurse is leaving. "Hi, Ms. Swan? I'm Shelly, I'll be doing your ultrasound."

"Hello," I greet her. "Um, you can call me Bella, and this is Edward."

"Why don't you lie back and we'll get started? If all seems to be progressing normally, this will be the last one. Soon, the doctor will be able to measure your abdomen," she says with a wink.

I lie back, sliding my pants down so that Shelly can spread the gel on my stomach, then eagerly await the picture on the screen. Edward comes to hover over my shoulder as I watch. She begins taking some measurements and writing things down on my chart.

"Looking good," Shelly says with a smile. She shines a light on my stomach and we watch the figure on the screen move. "Edward? Why don't you clap your hands near her stomach."

He does as she asks and we see the figure move again. "Very good, your baby is sensitive to light and loud noises. It's developing normally." I breathe a small sigh of relief.

"So, do you want to know if you're having a girl or a boy?" she asks, smiling at us.

"I think my roommate will kill me if I don't find out. She's excited to know what kind of clothes to buy for it," I chuckle.

She points at something on the screen. "What do you see there?" she asks, looking toward Edward.

"Nothing," he shrugs.

"Exactly — it's a girl." I let out the breath I was holding. A _girl_. All I wanted was a healthy baby, but I wonder if Edward is disappointed. Don't most men want sons?

Shelly prints out a couple of new pictures for us, before letting me know that I can go pee now, handing me the now-familiar cup. Thank God!

"I'll be right back, Edward," I tell him, walking across the hall to the bathroom. When I come back, he's standing up, reading some sort of poster on the wall. I walk up to him, giving in to temptation and putting an arm around his waist. He looks down at me and smiles.

Suddenly the door opens. "Good afternoon, Bella. And Edward."

"Hi, Dr. Gerandy." I move to take a seat on the table.

"How are you feeling?" she asks. "The second trimester is the easiest time for most women."

"I'm ok."

"What about earlier?" Edward speaks up.

"Um, yeah… I seem to get dizzy sometimes when I try to stand up. My roommate looked it up on the internet and it said I should change position slowly."

"That's right. Your baby is growing rapidly right now and it's taking a lot out of your body. Can you feel the baby move?"

"Yeah, but my roommate couldn't."

The doctor nods. "It'll be a little while longer before the movements are strong enough to be felt outside the abdomen.

"So, all of your test results from last time were perfectly normal. The results from the quad screen were all negative. You're not anemic. You were negative for HIV and several other sexually transmitted diseases that we checked for." I can feel my face turning bright red.

"Today's ultrasound results look good, so unless you have any other questions, I'll see you again in about a month."

"No questions."

"Any from you, Daddy?" she asks, smiling at Edward.

"Uhhhh… no?" he replies, seeming startled.

"Most of the men are usually asking by this point how long they can keep having sex," she remarks with a wink.

_Oh God_… I feel my face blush crimson at the implication, while Edward kind of chokes a little.

We follow the doctor out of the room and back to the receptionist. "So, four weeks would be October 29th," she begins after Edward has taken care of the co-pay, "But it's looking pretty full that day. How about the following Monday, November 3rd, same time?"

"That works for me. Edward?"

"Uh, yeah, whatever. I'll be in town."

She hands me an appointment card and we walk outside. "Are you all right?" I ask Edward. He's been acting strangely for the last several minutes.

"Yeah, I just… she called me 'Daddy'."

"Are you upset that we're having a girl?" I ask tentatively.

"What? Why would I be upset?"

I shrug. "I figured you probably wanted a boy."

"I don't know… I hadn't really thought about it. I'm not upset though, promise," he says, smiling as he punches my arm lightly.

When we reach his car, he stops for a moment, biting his lip. "Um, so… part of the deal with Mom agreeing to take off work today to pick me up at the airport, then drop me back off at a ridiculous hour tomorrow, was that I had to bring you by for dinner tonight."

"Oh… all right."

"Do you need to get anything from your dorm? Or can we just go straight there? Traffic is going to be a bitch."

"I don't need anything," I confirm. Nodding, he hits the button on the keyfob then opens the door for me.

"So are you really ok?" he asks as he enters the freeway.

"Yeah, I'm fine. A little ticked that I had to give up non-maternity pants last week," I complain.

Edward smiles. "Mom will be shocked when she sees you're obviously pregnant."

"It's pretty tough to hide now," I agree. "I was afraid that people at school would notice and say something, but they haven't."

"You think they'd give you a hard time?"

I shrug. "What… what should I say if anyone asks who the father is?"

Edward sighs. "I don't think you should tell them the truth, if that's what you're asking. I mean, I don't give a shit what people say about me. I'm just worried about you, you know?"

I nod silently. I get what he means without him actually saying it — everyone will think I'm a slut who got knocked up on purpose.

"You don't have to answer any nosy questions, Bella. Just tell anyone who asks to mind their own business."

"I guess."

We drive through heavy traffic for about 10 minutes before Edward decides to get off the interstate and drive on surface streets the rest of the way, and I chance trying to start another conversation.

"So, how's the tour going?"

"It's getting a little monotonous," he sighs. "We've been on the road so long. The real money is in touring, so I don't mean to complain. I just… should be here instead." I squee a little internally, hoping that I've understood him correctly and he wants to be here with _me_.

"Two more weeks, right?"

"A little over two weeks, then we'll come back to Chicago and start working on our next album. Well, we'll take a break for a few weeks, I guess. It all depends on me anyway, right?"

"The others don't write songs at all?" I ask curiously.

"No… they're talented musicians, and Seth is a great singer, but… "

"But none of them have your songwriting talent."

He nods, turning a little pink. "It's a lot of pressure sometimes," he confesses.

"The others have college degrees though, right? I mean, they aren't dependent on you for their livelihood."

"Seth doesn't, but the others do, yeah. I'm sure you know that Emmett and Jasper met at the University of Illinois — the main campus in Champaign. They were both engineering majors and became roommates as sophomores. Riley attended school there also, majoring in Accounting, believe it or not. Riley met the other two at a frat party when they were just fooling around with some instruments, and the three of them decided to form a band to get chicks."

I snort to myself. Of course they did.

"Seth worked as part of the landscaping crew at the school. When Jasper heard him singing to himself one day while he was working, he asked him to join the band."

"That's cool," I smile.

"So yeah, three of them have degrees and could get 'real' jobs if they wanted to and make a decent living."

"What about you?" I ask softly.

Edward smiles over at me. "Come on, I'm sure you know this."

I feel myself blushing. "I haven't heard your version of the story."

He sighs. "I had no idea what I wanted to do after my high school graduation. I didn't want to go to college just to _go_, you know? So I talked Mom into letting me take a year off. I'd been working at a music store for a few years already, so she let me take time off as long as I kept working.

"Emmett was in his last year of college then, and when he came home that first Christmas after Mom and Carlisle got married, he heard me messing around on my keyboard. He talked me into driving down on weekends and playing a couple of gigs with them. We did mostly cover songs, but we threw in a handful that I'd written, just to see what kind of response they'd get."

"And they got a good response?" I guess.

"Yeah, almost as good as the cover songs. After they all graduated, we decided to keep playing gigs around the state and see if we could get a record deal. It took until November, but finally someone wanted to sign us.

"A lot of people in the industry don't care for us," Edward continues. "They think we didn't really pay our dues."

"But you have talent."

He shrugs. "To some people, it's all about how long you've worked before getting a record deal. Some consider us to be barely above a boy band," he scoffs.

"You aren't a boy band! You write your own songs and play your own instruments," I reply defensively.

Edward grins. "We should pay you to defend us." He turns down his parents' street and I start smoothing out my clothes. When we pull into the garage, I notice that only his mom is home.

I get out of the car, meeting Edward by the door into the house. "Hey, Mom," he calls, stepping inside.

"Hi, Esme," I call, seeing her get up from the chair in the family room and walk toward us.

"Oh, hello, dear," she greets me with a smile. "Oh my!" she exclaims when she notices my stomach.

"Yeah," I whine. "I look pregnant now."

"Well, you knew it was going to happen," she laughs.

"I know."

She smiles widely. "So, I was thinking of making lasagna tonight — it's one of Edward's favorites. Can you stay for a while? It'll be about 90 minutes before I can get it on the table."

"Oh… yeah, that's fine. Can I help?"

"Sure, that'd be great. Could you brown the ground beef while I get the water boiling and start on the sauce? I can take it from there."

Esme gets the package of ground beef out of the fridge for me and I open it while she finds a large frying pan. As I add the raw beef to the pan, Edward peeks over my shoulder.

"Yes?" I giggle.

He shrugs. "Just watching."

"How did your appointment go today, Bella?" Esme asks.

"Um, it went fine. Everything is good with the baby." I start to tell her that it's a girl, but Edward motions for me to keep quiet.

"We'll tell them together," he whispers in my ear, causing instant goosebumps.

When the meat is fully cooked, I add it to the large saucepan with the tomato sauce, then Esme shoos us away so that she can finish. "I'll call you when it's ready," she says.

Edward tugs on my hand, leading me toward the stairs. "Why didn't you want to tell her now?" I ask when we reach his bedroom.

"Are you kidding? She'd be too distracted to finish dinner when we tell her she's going to have a granddaughter and show her the new picture."

I smile; he's probably right.

Edward grabs his desk chair and pulls it over in front of the keyboard, next to the other chair. "Can you play?" he asks as we sit down.

"No," I shake my head.

"Can you play _any_ instruments?"

"I played viola from fifth through seventh grade. I doubt I could play it now though."

"Why'd you quit?" he asks curiously, playing some sort of warm-up scale on his keyboard.

"Because I was terrible," I chuckle. "I would much rather have read a book than practice."

"I'll teach you," Edward says confidently.

And he spends the next half hour trying to teach me to play _Heart and Soul_, before he realizes it's hopeless.

"Wow," he laughs. "I really hope our baby — our _daughter_, gets my musical ability."

"Me too," I nod. "Would you play _Let It Be_ for me?"

I watch in awe as he plays a perfect rendition of the classic Beatles song. Even just playing a simple melody, you can feel the emotions in the song.

"I imagine you didn't play it like that when you were four," I giggle.

"I don't think I could manage more than one finger back then," he agrees. He looks over at me then, biting his lip. "Wanna go lie down?"

My eyes widen; is that code for 'let's go make out on the bed?'

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Very few suggested that Edward was hurt accidentally. Bella bought his explanation… do you?

**It's a girl!** How many think that serves Edward right? ;) How many think Bella is right and he does want to go make out on the bed?

We're over 550 reviews from passing the next fic in line, so that goal will take some time. However, we only need 55 Alerts to pass _Oh Brother_. Of course, you guys all have it on Alert already, but, tell your friends if they're looking for something new to read?

Next update on **Friday**.

* * *

><p>A reminder that Round 1 voting for the TwiFic Fandom Awards runs through November 8, and you can vote each day at this link: (bit .ly1hd9SPF), just remove the space. It's also linked in my profile.

_The Fourth Floor_ is nominated for Favorite Ficlette (one-shots), while _Inside Out_ is up for Favorite All-Time Fic, Boomerang Fic and 5ever Fic.


	18. Photo

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! Almost no one believes Edward's story about how he got a black eye (except Bella). Readers were about 50/50 on whether or not Edward wants to make out on the bed; those who didn't say which they believe generally hope that is his intention, at least for Bella's sake.

Chapter 16, which I posted on Sunday, has fewer views than 17, so if you missed that bonus update, don't forget to check it out!

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 18 — Photo<em>

"I've hardly slept in a real bed in a month," Edward says, standing up and stretching. He takes my hand, leading me over to the king-sized bed, then lies down right in the middle. Hesitantly, I stretch out beside him, letting him pull me closer until my head is resting on his chest.

Oh. I guess he really did just mean to lie down. I can't pretend I'm not disappointed.

Edward sighs and I put my arm over his hard stomach. I feel him lean down and kiss the top of my head. His body feels so warm and my eyes start to close. I breathe in deeply, inhaling his unique scent.

Without my permission, my fingers move back and forth, scratching at his stomach. It's been so long since I've touched him like this. I long to feel his hands on me again.

Instead, Edward's left hand takes mine in his, entwining our fingers together and squeezing lightly.

"Sorry," he whispers. "Had to stop you before Little Edward wanted to feel your hand doing that."

I bury my face in Edward's chest, embarrassed at the implication — and maybe a little pleased that I can affect him that way.

"Just rest, Bella," he mumbles.

Well, maybe a little nap _would_ be nice… I was too excited about Edward coming home to sleep well last night.

~*~*GN*~*~

"Edward!"

I open my eyes, slowly lifting my head until I see Edward's mother standing in the doorway.

"Dinner is ready, you two," she announces.

I sit up slowly, blinking the sleep out of my eyes. I'm more than slightly mortified when I realize the somewhat compromising position that Esme just found me in with her son, even if we didn't do anything but take a nap.

I feel the bed move as Edward sits up behind me, just as his mother turns to walk away. I turn around to look at him and his hair is sticking up in all directions. He looks like a toddler waking up from his nap.

"What?" he asks, obviously sensing me watching him.

"You're cute," I blurt out before I can stop myself.

He scoffs, turning pink. "Let's go. I'm hungry."

I slide off the bed, then wait for Edward to stand up. He takes my hand, leading me out of his room and down the stairs.

"Good evening, Dr. Cullen," I greet Edward's stepfather when I see him sitting at the head of the table.

"Oh, good evening, Bella," he smiles back. "How are you today?"

"I'm good," I reply, taking the seat next to Edward, across the table from his mother.

Edward cuts a piece of lasagna and lifts it onto my plate, before getting his own, and I can't keep the smile from my face.

Esme asks her husband about a case at the hospital and I'm relieved to not be the center of attention — for once — as he tells her about it. As I eat the delicious lasagna, I keep stealing glances over at Edward as he scarfs his food down. He looks amazing today in his tight black t-shirt, despite the chill in the air.

"Slow down, Edward," his mother admonishes.

"Sorry," he mumbles with his mouth full. He swallows before continuing, "I've really missed having a home-cooked meal."

"So have I," I pipe up. "This is delicious."

"Thank you, dear."

After dinner, I help Esme clear the table, then the four of us move to the family room. Edward motions to me and I pull the ultrasound photo out of the side of my purse, handing it to his mother before taking a seat on the loveseat next to Edward.

"Oh my," she gasps, her hand flying to her mouth.

"It's a girl," I announce with a smile.

"She has Edward's nose," Esme says, tracing the photo with her finger.

"Mom! How can you possibly tell from that tiny photo?"

"Oh, you hush. I can tell my grandbaby is going to be beautiful." She smiles as she continues staring at the photo. "Do you have a due date, Bella?"

"February 22nd."

"Have you decided what to do about the Spring semester?" Dr. Cullen asks.

I shake my head. "I don't want to take the semester off. I'm not even sure if I _can_ and still keep my scholarship. Hopefully my professors will let me make up the work if I can keep my absence to a week or two?"

"Oh dear," Esme begins, "I wouldn't want you to push yourself and go back too quickly."

"I guess I'll just play it by ear," I shrug. "I know I need to find a new place to live, too. I mean, I can't stay in my current dorm with a newborn. UIC has a pilot program with a floor in one of their residence halls dedicated to students with children, but they only have space for 15 families."

"Don't worry about it now," Edward says, reaching over to rub my arm. "I'll figure something out, ok? You have three more months."

I nod, biting my lip. I still have no idea about how I'll pay for daycare, but I try not to let it keep me awake at night.

"Oh, Carlisle, could you look at his eye now?" Esme asks.

"Mooomm…"

"Come here, Edward."

Rolling his eyes, he gets up, moving to sit next to his parents on the couch. "Ow!" he yells as Dr. Cullen prods at it. I try not to giggle.

"Nothing's broken," he pronounces after a minute or two. "It'll heal, Esme."

"Are you sure?" she asks worriedly.

"He's fine," her husband assures her. "What time is your flight tomorrow, Edward?"

"Seven," he grumbles. "Maybe I'd better get you back so I can get some sleep?" he suggests, turning to me.

"Sure," I nod, standing up. "What time did you land today?"

"A little before two. But I had to be at the airport early for my original flight time, so I'm pretty wiped out." He stands up, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Bella, dear, is it all right if I give you a call sometime? Perhaps we can have lunch, or dinner sometime when Carlisle is at the hospital."

"Um, sure." I've been hesitant to bother Esme since I really haven't needed anything.

"Back in an hour or so," Edward says, laying his hand on the small of my back as we head for the door.

"Are you sure you're ok to drive, Edward?" I ask as I get buckled in.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine, no sweat. Got my nap in earlier," he adds with a wink, making me blush.

As we drive down the interstate, I decide to continue our conversation from earlier. I just want to get to know the father of my child. "So, what do you think you'd be doing right now if you weren't in the band?"

He blows out a breath. "I honestly have no idea. I was just an average student; I didn't have any special talent in any subject."

"But you're a talented piano player," I point out.

He shakes his head. "Not good enough to play professionally."

"You _do_ play professionally."

"I mean, not like as a concert pianist or with a symphony or something. I'm not that good," he insists.

"I think you're very talented."

"And I think you're biased," he chuckles. "I don't compose anything that's too complicated for me to play. If I tried to play a classical piece, you could hear the difference."

I frown; I don't like the way he puts himself down. The New Moons would be nothing without Edward; he said so himself earlier.

"I really don't know what else I could do, Bella. Thankfully, I don't have to think about it. I can do something I love and make money — that's all anyone can ask for."

"Yeah," I agree.

"What about you? What do you want to do with your English degree?"

"I'm not sure exactly. I'm leaning toward the minor in Communications so I could maybe do something in public relations, or maybe journalism. I love to read, especially the classics — Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters — but I know that reading books all day isn't a job," I giggle.

"Do you think you want to move back to… Forks, is it? When you graduate?" he asks curiously.

"No, definitely not," I reply. "The town is so small and there's nothing to do there. I already love living in a big city." What I don't say is that I'm not sure I want to settle in a city quite as large as Chicago, but I have almost four years to figure that out. Who knows where Edward and I will be by that point.

"Have you told your dad about the baby yet?"

"No," I sigh. "I don't know how."

"Maybe you could send him the other photo from the ultrasound?" he suggests.

"I don't know… I talk to him on the phone every week, and part of me just wants to blurt it out, but… I don't know how to tell him without breaking his heart." Thank God he doesn't Skype, or he probably would've figured it out this past weekend.

"Maybe there is no way to do that, but… my mom came around pretty fast. Now she's so excited about having a grandbaby. I know she's gonna be buying all sorts of things for the baby now that she knows it's a girl," he laughs.

"Yeah, so is Alice. But I just can't see my dad ever being ok with me repeating his mistakes."

"You're _not_ though. I mean, yeah, ok, you're having a baby young, but you plan to continue your education. And you _will_. You're not going to let this stop you from realizing your dreams. He's got to see that and admire it."

"I hope it doesn't stop me," I reply quietly. "I have no idea what it'll be like to be in school while taking care of a newborn by myself. It'll probably be twice as hard as I'm picturing."

"But you're not going to be alone," he insists.

"Thank you, Edward," I tell him softly, looking over at him.

"For what?"

"For always trying to calm me down. I don't know what I'd do without you."

He shrugs, seeming to be a little embarrassed.

As he exits the highway, I can already feel the loss. I miss Edward when he's not here — Edward the _person_, not Edward the rock star.

"October 18th," he says as he pulls over to the curb. "Our last show is the night before, in Charlotte, so I'll be back home the next day. And then I'm not leaving you again."

"At least until your next tour," I reply softly.

"Yeah…"

I unbuckle my seat belt, pausing with my hand on the door handle.

"I'll miss you," I whisper. I really need one of his hugs right now.

Edward looks stricken for a second, before he leans in and brushes his lips against my cheek. "I'll text you when I land, ok?"

I nod, trying to smile.

Standing at the curb, I wave to Edward as he drives away, trying not to think about why he didn't say he'll miss _me_, too.

~*~*GN*~*~

On the Sunday before Edward is due home, I'm sitting on my bed with my laptop on my lap, working on a paper for my English class. Alice sits at her desk, typing away, though every time I get up for something, it looks like she's on Facebook and not actually working.

I feel the baby move and absently rub my stomach, staring at the ultrasound photo that I have taped to the wall over my bed. Now that I've passed the halfway point in my pregnancy, I'm starting to feel a little bit of excitement about getting to meet my baby.

I can't wait for Edward to come back to Chicago so he can experience the second half of my pregnancy with me. And I can't wait to see where our relationship goes. He still texts me every night and sends me selfies, but that's pretty much our only contact. I get that it's hard to really move forward when we're not in the same city, so I don't blame him for waiting.

I'm getting anxious though. I wish these last six days could just fly by. I miss him so much, and I've even started having… _erotic_ dreams about him. I really hope I haven't woken Alice up with my moaning.

I get up to use the bathroom and when I step back into the room, Alice slams the lid of her laptop shut.

"Ok, which one of your relatives has pissed you off _now_?" I joke. Alice is constantly getting upset with the things her Tea Party relatives share on Facebook.

"What? N-nothing. I, uh… yeah." She grimaces, scratching at her ear.

"Ok, now you're acting weird, even for you. What is it?"

I walk over to Alice's desk, grabbing for the laptop, but she's too fast for me as she snatches it out of my reach.

"Alice!"

She holds the laptop underneath her desk, and suddenly I come to the realization that there's something on that screen she doesn't want me to see.

"What is it, Alice?" She shakes her head, but I'm not backing down from this. I don't like this feeling of being in the dark.

"I'll just find it myself," I grumble, heading over to my bed. Of course, I have no idea what website she was even on, so I don't have a clue where to start looking for… whatever it is.

"No!" she shouts. "Look, I'll show you, but… sit down first, and don't jump to conclusions."

I cock my head to the side. Don't jump to conclusions? _She_ obviously did.

I sit down, leaning my head against the wall, and Alice comes to sit beside me. She slowly opens up her laptop and I can see she's on TMZ.

"Let me see it," I suggest, trying to reach for the laptop, but she pulls it away.

"It's the only computer I have; I don't want you to toss it across the room and break it."

Holding tightly to the laptop, Alice turns it so that I can see the screen. She touches the mouse touchpad, scrolling up until I see the headline: "**New Moon Caught With His Pants Down.**"

Beneath the headline is a side view photo of a man who's clearly Edward, standing next to the open door of a limo, his pants down around his knees, with a black bar covering his private parts. A woman with reddish blond hair, wearing a short, tight red dress, stands a few feet away from him, her hair and make-up a mess.

"Oh God…" I choke out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** "Don't jump to conclusions." _Alice Brandon._

Do I need to go into hiding? Or better yet, does Edward?

I could update on **Sunday** again if you all beg hard enough.

* * *

><p>A reminder that Round 1 voting for the TwiFic Fandom Awards runs through tomorrow (Saturday), and you can vote each day at this link: (bit .ly1hd9SPF), just remove the space. It's also linked in my profile.

_The Fourth Floor_ is nominated for Favorite Ficlette (one-shots), while _Inside Out_ is up for Favorite All-Time Fic, Boomerang Fic and 5ever Fic.


	19. Wrath

**Author Note:** Thank you for the continuing great response to this story! Wow, I expected a shitstorm from the last chapter and certainly got it — 164 reviews! And thank you for taking your anger out on Edward and not me.

Here is your bonus update!

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 19 — Wrath<em>

"Are you going to answer that?" Alice asks with a sigh.

"No," I snarl, pressing IGNORE again.

"He's just going to keep calling."

"Let him," I reply, tossing my phone toward the end of my bed.

Today is the day The New Moons are due back in town, after the final show of their tour last night in North Carolina. The day _Edward_ is due back in town. The very same Edward who's been sending me his nightly texts and selfies as if nothing is wrong.

As if the entire world doesn't know he cheated on me.

As Alice reminds me, the entire world doesn't even know I exist, so they just think he fucked a girl in public. That's oh, so much better.

I mean, does he really think everything is ok? Did he think I wouldn't see or hear of the picture? Alice and I aren't the only fans of the band here on campus, especially with all of the locals who attend UIC. I heard plenty of gossip around the Student Center in the days following the release of the photo. I would've found out even if Alice hadn't seen it online.

How can he just act like everything's ok, like nothing has changed? Does he really think if he ignores it, it'll go away?

Not bloody likely, buddy.

I've also ignored Esme's calls over the past week. I wonder if she knows. I wonder if she wants to see me just to try and smooth things over for her darling son.

Not gonna happen.

My phone rings again, and I ignore the call — again.

"Why don't you just turn it off?" Alice asks the obvious question.

"Because my dad always calls on Saturdays, and I don't want to worry him if my phone's turned off," I sigh, flopping back on my bed. Well, not for long — I can't lie on my back anymore, according to all of the information I've read on pregnancy. I roll to my side, grabbing my pillow and taking my frustrations out on it as I reshape it.

"Maybe you should talk to him," Alice suggests gently. "Give him a chance to explain. Whatever it is, it can't be worse than you're imagining right now."

"How can he explain fucking a girl in the back of a limo?" I yell, closing my eyes as I immediately feel guilty for taking it out on her.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but… in one of your more rational moments, you told me that you and Edward hadn't made anything official."

"He said it would be the two of us from here on out," I remind her.

"But maybe he really was just talking about the two of you having a baby together."

"Alice, he _kissed_ me!" I had finally confessed that one to her when I broke down sobbing after seeing the photo. I conveniently ignored the fact that he told me the next day it wouldn't happen again.

"He's definitely guilty of sending mixed messages," she agrees. "But if he thought you weren't together, then it's not cheating in his eyes."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I pout.

"Well, no, but… maybe make you a teensy tiny bit less angry?"

"If I don't let my anger out, then I'm just hurt," I admit quietly. "My pregnancy hormones have my emotions all over the place these days."

Alice smiles sympathetically. After three more ignored calls, she stands up from her desk, stretching. "I'm starving. Want to head over to the Student Center and get something to eat?"

"Nah, I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat, Bella."

"Later. They serve until eight, right?"

Sighing, Alice throws on her jacket and grabs an umbrella since it's raining outside — the reason why she's in our room listening to my phone ring on a Saturday afternoon instead of out having fun.

Once she's gone, I scream out my frustrations and punch my pillow a few more times for good measure.

Only a couple of minutes later, I hear a key in the lock. "Forget your i-card again?" I call with a smile as the door opens. Alice steps inside the room, followed by a very wet Edward Masen.

"What the hell is he doing here?" I yell, sitting up on my bed.

"I found him outside," Alice replies.

"And you thought you'd let him in?" Et tu, Brutus?

She shrugs. "He looked kinda pathetic, like a _dog_ left out in the rain." She moves to her bed and kneels down, digging a towel out of the box under the bed and handing it to him.

"Thanks," he says quietly, holding the towel in front of his groin.

"You guys really need to talk, Bella. Now if I leave you here alone with him, do you promise I won't have to wipe any blood off the floor?"

"No."

She sighs, crossing her arms.

"Fine," I wave my hand. "Maybe I'll just take a lesson from your playbook."

Alice grins, waving as she leaves the room.

Still not saying a word, Edward pulls his wet shirt over his head, then leaves it on our drying rack. I try not to stare as he dries his wet hair and chest with the towel.

"Don't even think about it," I growl as I see his hands reach for the button on the top of his jeans.

He sighs, then wipes a few stray droplets that have fallen from his hair. "You saw the picture."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Bella—"

"No," I interrupt. "You don't get to speak yet. I just want the answer to one question: How. Many."

"How many what?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Edward! How many girls have you been with since you found out I'm having your baby?"

"Define… been with," he replies, fidgeting a little.

"Fine, I'll rephrase. How many girls have you _had sex with _since you found out I'm having your baby?"

He shrugs. "Define sex."

In my haste to strangle him, I stand up from the bed too quickly, the dizziness overtaking me. I sit back down just as Edward rushes toward me.

"Don't you fucking touch me!" I scream, batting his hand away. He kneels on the floor in front of my bed, looking up at me. "Stop playing dumb! You are not Bill Clinton, so you can't get away with this shit! Answer the question!"

He sighs, burying his face in his hands for a moment before moving his hands away. "I haven't had sexual intercourse with anyone since I found out that you're pregnant."

"Liar!" I reach out, shoving him backwards. He scoots back until he's out of my reach, then looks up at me again.

"I'm not lying."

"You're gonna tell me you didn't have sex in that limo? Do I look stupid to you? Never mind, I guess I do." I angrily brush away the tears starting to fall.

"She gave me a blowjob — that's it, I swear." I remain silent, raising one eyebrow.

"She was just some model I met at a club in Miami Beach. We were both pretty drunk. She blew me in the limo on the way to her hotel. Then literally like, five seconds after she swallowed, she started moaning that she was going to puke. She got the driver to stop and pull over and practically fell out of the limo, then threw up all over the sidewalk.

"I wasn't thinking — I got out to see if she was ok… that must've been when the pap took the picture. He must've followed us from the club. Nothing happened after that, I swear. Her getting sick kinda spoiled the mood."

I just stare at him in disbelief. "Were there others?" I ask quietly, feeling a little queasy myself.

He sighs, nodding. "One other, a groupie after the show in New Orleans. Again, she just gave me a blowjob on our bus. And then… Emmett walked in. You saw what he did to my face."

My mouth drops open as what he's saying sinks in. "You weren't hit by a stray elbow… Emmett _punched_ you?"

He nods.

"Because he saw you with a girl?"

"Yeah."

"You lied to me," I reply in a small voice.

He hangs his head, burying his face in his hands again. Finally he nods once and fresh tears fill my eyes.

"How can I believe you now? How can I believe it was only two girls? Maybe you've been out seducing virgins every night!" I cry.

"I haven't," he replies flatly. "I swear."

"Tell me why, Edward?" I beg. "I thought… I thought you and I were…" I shake my head, my tears flowing freely now. It doesn't matter what I thought. What matters is that Edward _didn't_ think we were together, that he thought he was free to screw around.

"Bella—"

"Shut up!" I shout. "I get it, ok? You're incapable of keeping it in your pants."

"This is what I'm supposed to be doing!" he yells, getting to his feet. "I'm 22 years old, Bella! I'm supposed to be out having fun, sowing my wild oats or whatever. This is what guys my age _do_!"

I look up at him in shock. "Well, I'm 19, I'm supposed to be out having fun, being a normal college freshman, only I can't! I can't because I'm pregnant with your baby!"

"Bella," he sighs.

"Get out."

"Bella—"

"Get! Out!" I scream as loudly as I can.

Seconds later, there's a knock on the door. "Bella?" a female voice calls through the door. "Are you ok? Answer me, or I'm gonna get our RA."

I get off the bed, glaring at Edward while I cross the room to the door and throw it open.

"I'm fine, Kate," I tell the girl from the room next door to ours. "My guest was just leaving. Could you… could you walk him down for me?"

Kate stares into my eyes for a moment, then nods. She looks up at where Edward stands frozen in place. I turn and grab his shirt off the drying rack, shoving it at his stomach. "Don't even think about it; she has a boyfriend."

He takes his shirt from me without a word, walking to the door. Turning around, he opens his mouth, looking as if he wants to say something, then closes it again, shaking his head.

The minute the door closes behind him, I collapse to my knees, sobbing.

~*~*GN*~*~

"Oh, honey," Alice cries, finding me still like that sometime later. She helps me off the floor and over to my bed. I curl up in a ball as best I can, too tired even to cry anymore.

Alice strokes my hair for a few minutes, whispering words I don't hear.

"I brought you dinner," she says quietly.

"I thought you weren't allowed to take food out of the cafeteria?" I mumble.

"Eh, helps if you flirt with the old man serving." I manage a small chuckle. "Come on, sit up. You need to eat, honey. You're eating for two."

I sit up slowly, taking the Styrofoam container from Alice. "Thanks," I whisper.

"It's just a grilled chicken sandwich… protein, you know," she shrugs.

"You're a good friend." I don't know what I would've done without Alice this past week.

"So," Alice begins, looking around the room, "I don't see any blood."

"No," I whisper, taking a bite of my sandwich. I can't even taste it.

"Are you gonna tell me what he said, or do I have to drag it out of you?" she jokes.

I chew slowly, trying to figure out what to say, then swallow. "He said the girl in the photo was a model who just gave him a blowjob before she had to get out of the limo and throw up. And he got a blowjob from another girl a few weeks ago, right before he flew back for my appointment, I guess."

"Well, that little…" Alice growls.

"Obviously we were never together in his mind. Do you know what he said?" I shake my head — of course she doesn't. "He said he's only doing what any 22-year-old guy is supposed to be doing."

"Please tell me your knee met his balls."

"No… sorry I let you down."

Alice giggles. "I nearly kneed him when he stood up outside, but I figured I'd let you have the pleasure." She turns serious for a moment. "He's not worth it, Bella. No man is worth this."

"But I'm still having his baby!"

"Has he said he no longer wants to help you? Because from what you've told me of his mother, she'd turn him over her knee if he said anything like that."

"He didn't say that," I whisper.

"Then… you need to think of Edward as your baby daddy and nothing more. Make sure he does his part financially to support his child. I know it's hard, I know you had feelings for him, but… you can't make someone love you back. You can't force him to change if he doesn't want to."

"It is hard," I whisper.

"I know," Alice says, hugging me to her. "You're lucky you got to 19 before suffering your first broken heart."

~*~*GN*~*~

The text messages start later that evening. I delete them all without even reading them. I'm not interested in anything Edward has to say right now.

Some tiny, rational part of my brain recognizes my part in this. I didn't clarify with him how we stood… as a couple. I just assumed that he'd want to give things a try with the mother of his child. I mean, wouldn't anyone in my position think that?

And there was the sweet way he treated me — holding my hand and all that. Not to mention that kiss in his bedroom. He said he couldn't resist me. I'm not making that up!

So why then am I not enough for him?

When my last class ends Wednesday afternoon, I walk back across campus to my dorm. I really should go to the library and study for Friday's test, but I'm just not up for that right now.

I'm perhaps 25 feet from my dorm when I notice a figure sitting on the sidewalk outside the entrance. I don't have to get any closer to know it's Edward. The mid-afternoon sun is shining brightly, making his hair almost seem to glow.

I stop for a moment, wondering if I should turn and head to the library after all. But something tells me he'll still be waiting there when I come back.

Steeling myself, I continue on my path. As I get closer to where he's waiting, I'm not even sure if I'll talk to him or just ignore him and go inside. I _want_ to ignore him, but I know he's not going to give up. Am I ready to face him yet?

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So, was it as bad as you feared? I'm sure Edward didn't exactly do anything to start redeeming himself with his explanation and thoughtless remarks in this chapter.

If you were Bella, would _you_ talk to him?

Next update on **Tuesday**.


	20. Explain

**Author Note:** Wow, wow, wow! You guys rock — 184 reviews for the last chapter! The last _two_ chapters have each now gotten more reviews than I ever have before. I love that you all are so passionate about these characters and have a lot to say.

I think readers were mostly split on whether or not Bella should agree to talk to Edward. On the other hand, an overwhelming majority is Team Bella, even if you understand that she bears some fault for not clarifying their relationship before he left on tour.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 20 — Explain<em>

"Hi, Bella," he says quietly, standing when I've almost reached him.

"Edward." I stop, looking up at him. His face is all scruffy, like he hasn't shaved since I last saw him four days ago.

"So… you asked once if we could go to Shedd Aquarium. How about now?"

My mouth drops open in shock. Well, that was the last thing I'd expected him to say.

"Please," he whispers.

"I don't want to go anywhere with you right now."

He closes his eyes, sighing. "I just want to talk… somewhere neutral," he shrugs.

I stand up straighter, taking a deep breath. "No. I-I'll talk to you, but… here."

I move past Edward, opening the door into Courtyard. He trails behind me, following me up the stairs.

I open the door to my room, then peek inside. Alice seems to be out, so I motion for Edward to follow me in. I drop my backpack onto my desk, throw my jacket onto my dresser, then sit down on my bed, leaning my head back against the wall.

Edward stands awkwardly for a minute before pulling out my desk chair, sitting so that he's straddling it backwards as he faces me.

"So… I owe you an apology," he begins quietly. "I'm sorry if you were under the impression that there was something more between us. I'm sorry if I led you on in any way."

My bottom lip quivers as I take in what he's saying; he really doesn't want me.

"I care about you, and… I only want the best for you. I promised to help you with anything you need, and I meant that. I did. I'm sorry if my behavior led you to think there was more to it."

"Stop! Just… stop. I don't want to hear about how stupid I was."

He sighs. "You aren't stupid; far from it. And you deserve so much better than me." He brings his hand up, tearing at his hair.

"Why do you do it?" I ask quietly.

"Do what?" he asks, his brow furrowed.

"Why do you… sleep around?"

He chuckles a little, shaking his head. "Come on, Bella, you remember the orgasm I gave you."

I just stare at him, having no idea what he's talking about.

"It feels good, Bella. I like sex. All guys like sex," he shrugs.

"All guys don't sleep with every girl they come across," I bite back. Is he fucking serious right now?

"Bella—"

"Tell me why. A real answer this time."

Edward shrugs. "Because I can?" He sighs, tearing at his hair again. "It's complicated."

"I think I can keep up."

He narrows his eyes, then finally nods. "I wasn't popular in high school," he begins. "I was too tall, too skinny. My clothes weren't _good enough_ since Mom got them at Goodwill. And I played the piano instead of a sport. I mean, can you say 'geek'?

"All that changed when I started playing gigs with Em. Suddenly girls wanted me, were throwing themselves at me. It felt so good… so good to be wanted.

"And now… I'm under a lot of pressure to make the band what it is. Sometimes I just need to let go. I need the release.

"I don't… care about any of them. I'm not sure how many of the girls can hold an intelligent conversation. But it doesn't matter — I'm not planning to marry them."

I stare at him, trying to understand how he can have sex with someone he cares nothing about. There's no way, _no way_ that I could ever do that.

"Don't you ever get tired of it?" I whisper, staring down at my lap. "Don't you ever want something more?"

"Yeah, I was getting tired of it," he admits. "I wanted something different. That's why… that's why I picked you that night."

I look up at Edward in shock. "And yeah, you weren't the aggressor, but in the end, you were no different," he states, shaking his head. "You had sex with me because I was Edward Masen, and then after you got what you wanted, you walked away."

"What?!" I screech.

"You walked away, Bella. I offered to walk you back to your bus. I wanted to spend more time with you, but…"

"I was scared my dad would find out!" I cry. "Of course I wanted you to walk me back, but I was afraid someone would see us, and tell one of their parents, and my dad would find out."

Edward is quiet for a moment, studying me. "Admit it, if I was just some random guy, you never would've slept with me."

I can feel my face flame red… of course he's right about that. Of course he is. I never would've done half the things I did that night if he had been some random guy.

Am I no different from the other girls?

I brush away my tears, wondering exactly how much of this is my fault. Does Edward not want me because he thinks I'm really not so different after all?

"Please don't cry anymore," he whispers, shaking his head. "Not over me."

I bring my feet up onto the bed, burying my face in my knees. I sniffle, trying to stop my tears. I don't _want_ to cry anymore; I'm so fucking sick of crying.

Taking a few deep breaths, I lift my head to look at Edward. "So where does this leave us?"

He tears at his hair, sighing. "I'm still going to be here for you. I'm still going to help you through this. I still… care about you. I still want to be part of yo—my child's life."

Edward stands up, walking very slowly across the room, as if approaching a wild animal, until he's standing right in front of me. When I don't fight him, he sits down beside me, gathering me into his arms.

"I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'm so sorry that I can't be what you need."

His words start a fresh round of tears and he holds me tighter, tugging me to sit sideways across his lap as he rocks me back and forth. Part of me wants to tell him to get his filthy hands off of me, but the rest of me has missed being in his arms, so, so much. Even if he'll never want me, he still brings me comfort.

I must be losing my mind.

Suddenly, I'm startled by the sound of the door opening.

"Oh shit!" Alice yells. "Sorry, sorry… don't mind me," she mumbles, backing away.

"Alice," I call out. "You can stay." I tear myself away from Edward, sitting about six inches away from him.

"I don't want to interrupt…"

"It's fine," I tell her, wiping my eyes. "We're done here."

Edward turns to look over at me. "Are we… ok?"

I sigh, staring into his eyes… they look so sad. He looks like he's as affected by this as I am. And as angry as I still am, I need him. I can't go through this without him.

And so I nod, staring down at my hands.

"Um, Mom said you've been ignoring her calls…"

"I didn't want to listen to her defend you," I sneer.

"She didn't know. I mean, not until we got back on Saturday. She's epically pissed off at me."

"I wonder why," Alice pipes up from where she's taken a seat on her own bed.

Edward glares at her for a moment, before shaking his head. "It seems like it's everyone against Edward right now."

"I repeat — I wonder why," Alice growls.

"I'm a fuck-up, all right? I get it." He sighs loudly. "Bella, Mom would really like it if you'd come to our family dinner on Sunday. She threatened to not let me back in the house if I didn't at least ask."

_Oh fuck no!_

"No," I reply immediately. "No way."

"Bella," he pleads.

"No, Edward! I am not walking into that house so everyone can laugh at me, at poor stupid Bella and at how you humiliated me."

"No one is going to laugh at you, I swear!"

"Oh come on," I scoff, "Do you really think Rose would let this golden opportunity pass her by?"

"Rose is in New York."

I stop short for a moment. If I'm being honest, I really don't think the rest of Edward's family would laugh at me. "And she'll still be gone on Sunday?"

"I think so. I'll double check with Emmett. If Rose won't be there, will you come? For Mom, if not for me?"

"I'll think about it," I finally agree. "Text me when you find out about Rose and I'll let you know."

"Ok. I guess that's the best I can hope for." He stands up and I nearly laugh at the way he holds his hands in front of his groin as he walks past Alice.

He reaches for the door handle, then turns around, his eyes darting between the two of us. "Someone needs to walk me out, right?"

"I will," Alice says, standing up. I watch the two of them leave, then collapse onto my bed, closing my eyes.

I hear the door opening just a couple of minutes later.

"I don't want to talk about it," I mumble preemptively.

I feel the bed dip as Alice sits beside me, then starts stroking through my hair. "Just tell me you're ok."

"I will be," I promise.

~*~*GN*~*~

After a text from Edward saying he's exited the freeway, I run a brush through my hair then head outside to wait for him. Since it no longer matters what I wear in front him, I've just put on one of my old size-too-large hoodies over a stretchy top today, along with the pair of maternity designer jeans that Alice made me buy. I'm at 23 weeks now and I feel absolutely humongous, though Alice thinks I look cute since it's all in my stomach. I think I see the start of a stretch mark though.

I agreed to go to this family dinner once Emmett had confirmed that his fiancée would indeed be out of town. I like the Cullens, and haven't seen them in over three weeks, so I'm willing to put up with Edward in order to spend time with them.

When I see the Porsche coming down the street, I take a deep breath. I've got half an hour in the car with Edward to deal with, and I really don't want to. I start walking toward the street as soon as I see Edward signal that he's pulling over.

I open the car door and sit down, trying to pull the seatbelt so that it's not pressed up against my ever-expanding stomach.

"Hi," he says tentatively when I don't greet him.

"Hi."

I lean my head back, staring straight ahead. I will not turn and look at him. I know he's going to be devastatingly beautiful, as usual, and I don't want to look at what I can't have.

And I don't even care if that makes me childish.

Edward pulls away from the curb, and I can feel him glancing over at me every once in a while. "I thought you said we were ok," he finally says, breaking the long silence.

Before I can stop myself, I make the mistake of looking over at him. Oh God, he's wearing a long-sleeved beige thermal shirt that shows off every bit of definition in his arms and chest.

Kill me now.

No, really, kill me. Apparently some pregnant women start to get exceedingly horny in their second trimester. That would be me, a perfect case in point.

God help me, I want him.

"Bella?" he prompts, his brow furrowed. I'm lucky my tongue isn't hanging out as I stare at him.

"I'm still not happy with you."

He sighs loudly. "What can I do?"

"There's nothing you can _do_, Edward. I just need time."

"All right," he says softly.

Thankfully, he leaves me alone for the rest of the drive. After a few more minutes of silence, he reaches over and turns the volume up on the radio.

We pull into the garage at his parents' house and I slide out of the car — not as easy as it used to be. I meet Edward at the door into the house, just staring at his hand when he holds it out for me to take.

Sighing, he pulls his hand back and opens the door. "I've told them not to mention… you know," he says quietly.

"Hey, mom," he calls. Esme is standing over the kitchen island, pounding what looks like a chicken breast.

"Good evening, Bella," she greets me with a friendly smile.

"Hi, Mrs. Cul—Esme."

"Would you like to help me with dinner? I could use some help making the salad?"

I smile evilly. "I'd actually rather pound out those chicken breasts for you…" While imagining that they're your son's head.

Esme winks as she hands me the rolling pin. Oh yeah, she gets me.

When all five pieces of meat have been pounded flat, Esme pulls a homemade herbed cheese stuffing out of the fridge for me, showing me how to stuff the chicken. While she is finishing up the salad, I stuff the other four then pop them into the oven for her. I give the rice cooking on the stove a stir while I'm there; I kind of miss cooking.

"Thank you, dear," Esme says with a smile. "Shall we join the boys in the family room?"

My face falls as we walk into the room. Dr. Cullen is seated on the couch, Emmett in the recliner and Edward on the loveseat. I'll look stupid if I join Esme in sitting on the couch, so reluctantly I sit beside Edward, leaving plenty of space between us.

The guys are watching the World Series game between the Giants and Royals, so I pretend to watch it while I twist my fingers together in my lap.

"Man, you sure have grown, Bella," Emmett says at the first commercial break.

"Emmett!" Esme scolds him.

"Way to state the obvious," I reply with a wink. I know my stomach looks even larger when I sit down.

"When's it due again?" he asks.

"February 22nd — four more months."

"Are you getting excited, dear?" Esme asks.

I shrug; I had been before the last two weeks happened. "I know the last few months of pregnancy are going to be tough, but… giving birth terrifies me. As does being a mom. It's been awhile since I babysat," I confess.

"Most of it is just instinct," she assures me.

On the next commercial, Esme heads to the kitchen, saying she needs to check on the rice. Emmett cracks his knuckles loudly, then looks over at me.

"Just say the word and I'll break his face for you."

"Emmett!" Edward yells.

I can't help the tiny grin on my face. "You did a pretty good job with that last time."

"Just sticking up for you, Bella-Boo."

I have to look away to keep from getting choked up. "Thanks, Emmett."

Edward huffs, leaning back and throwing his arm out over the back of the cushion. It's almost touching me. I want it to touch me. I don't want it to touch me.

I stand up suddenly. "I'm gonna go help Esme."

"I heard some of that," Esme whispers when I enter the kitchen. "Boys are stupid, Bella. But I have faith that there's a smart _man_ in there somewhere. If only he wasn't too old for me to punish.

"Are you all right?" I nod, really not wanting to think about it right now, and she smiles sympathetically. "Would you set the table, dear?" she asks, louder.

By the time I've got everything on the table, the oven timer beeps that the chicken is done. Esme pulls the pan out while I spoon the rice into a serving bowl and carry it to the table.

I notice Esme's frown when Edward and Emmett both grab beers out of the fridge. Edward tosses me a bottle of water and I reluctantly pull out the chair to sit beside him.

"How are your classes going?" Dr. Cullen asks while we eat.

"They're fine. I'm making A's in everything except Calculus. I don't know why they wouldn't let me take College Algebra," I moan.

He chuckles, nodding.

After dinner, Emmett sticks around to help Esme clear the table, so I grudgingly follow Edward back to the family room and sit down beside him.

The baby has been super active since we sat down to eat, and I absently rub my stomach as I sit and watch the game.

"What's wrong?" Edward asks.

"Your daughter apparently likes chicken and rice," I blurt without thinking.

When he doesn't reply, I look over at him, seeing him staring at my stomach. Slowly, he reaches his hand out, leaving it hovering above me for a moment. "Can I?" he whispers.

No. Yes. No.

I nod.

The moment his hand touches me, the baby gives a hard kick and I hear Edward's gasp.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Moosals wanted to high-five the baby for kicking her stupid dad.

So, it looks like Bella and Edward have different ideas of what "we're ok" means.

What are we thinking now? How do you feel about what Edward had to say? I know some readers didn't want Bella to go to any more family dinners, or heck even talk to him except through a lawyer.

_Oh Brother_ has 1,898 reviews. That's way too easy of a goal from where we are right now. But 2,000 would mean an average of 100 per chapter, and I do like round numbers…

Next update on **Friday**.


	21. Emmett

**Author Note:** You guys continue to rock—188 reviews for the last chapter! And 2,074 total so we made the goal and then some! As some of you noticed, that was too many for me to get all replies out on Tuesday with having to work all day.

So we've got some readers praising Bella for standing her ground and showing some backbone, and some thinking she caved to Edward too easily.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 21 — Emmett<em>

"I felt it," Edward whispers in wonder. He moves his hand a little and the baby kicks him again. "How long… how long has that…"

I shake my head. "Alice hasn't been able to feel it yet. That must be the first time she's kicked hard enough."

"She likes you, Edward," his mom says. I hadn't even heard her come into the room.

"No accounting for taste," Emmett grumbles, reclaiming his seat in the recliner.

"Emmett," his father scolds him with a warning look.

Edward swallows thickly, brushing his hand along my stomach, but I don't feel any more kicks. "Is she still moving?"

"No," I tell him softly.

"You know, Edward," Esme says as she sits next to her husband, "You should play for her, sing to her. If she gets used to hearing your voice now, it might be something that soothes her after she's born."

He bites his lip, looking over at me. "Will you go upstairs with me so I can play?"

I frown; I don't want to, but this is for my daughter — our daughter.

"Please?" he begs.

"Ok," I agree. Edward stands up, holding his hand out to me, but I push myself up without his help. Sighing, he starts walking toward the staircase.

By the time I reach Edward's bedroom, he has already pulled the desk chair over to the keyboard. I take a seat, watching as his hands fly across the keys, playing a warm-up scale.

Soon, he begins playing the familiar strains of _Let It Be_. I'm shocked when his voice joins in though, not really expecting him to sing, despite Esme's suggestion.

When the final chord fades away, he shrugs, staring down at his hands.

"You have a beautiful voice. You could sing lead yourself."

"Nah…" He shakes his head. "More Beatles?"

"Sure," I agree with a small smile, deciding not to argue with him — although I'm right.

He plays _Hey Jude_ next, his velvet voice again accompanying the music. From there he plays several of The New Moons' songs, his voice different from Seth's yet no less amazing. I sit mesmerized listening to these new, simple versions of some of my favorite songs.

When he's finished, he turns to me, biting his lip. "Any requests?"

"How about that song you sang at Millennium Park?" I suggest.

"You liked that one?"

"It was beautiful, Edward," I reply honestly.

Edward takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly, then begins with the a cappella lead-in. I start tearing up at the emotion in his voice as he sings. I can almost believe he truly is sorry — for everything.

When the song is over, he sits still as a statue, his head bowed and hands on the keys. He closes his eyes and I see a tear leak out.

I'm startled when he suddenly moves, spinning the chair toward me then moving to kneel on the floor. He places his ear against my stomach, while his arms cage me in, hands planted on the seat beside me.

Though I'm still angry with him, and part of me wants to shove him away, I'm overcome by the need to comfort him somehow. He may have hurt me deeply, but I don't believe he's… a bad person. He's not a monster. I slowly lift my hand, scratching it through his hair until I hear his breath hitch.

He lifts his head slightly and his hands move to lift up the bottom of my hoodie, then the shirt underneath. He places a lingering kiss on the bare skin of my stomach and I feel like I've been branded. I feel it all the way down to my toes.

And then he lurches to his feet, mumbling, "Sorry," as he stumbles from the room.

I pull my clothes back down but remain seated, too stunned to move. Where did he go? Is he coming back?

The seconds tick by until I get my answer, hearing Edward's footsteps enter the room. He moves to his desk beside us, messing with something on the computer, then sits back in his chair. After taking a long drink from a fresh beer, he places his hands on the keyboard and starts playing.

I have no idea what this song is, and he's not singing along this time. But it's beautiful, the most soothing melody. It's probably some classical piece — it's not like I know anything about classical music.

When the song ends, he reaches over to mess with his computer again, then sits back, resting his forehead in his hands.

"Wh-what was that song?" I ask tentatively.

He shrugs. "A lullaby, I guess."

"You guess?"

He turns his head until he's facing me. "I don't know… I just wrote it."

My mouth drops open. "You wrote that… just now? Or you mean it's something you've been working on for a while?" Surely he didn't just make that up on the spot!

"Just now," he says, sitting up and shrugging. "That's why I hit record first."

"Oh my _God_, Edward!" I shriek. "You are so much more talented than you give yourself credit for."

Shaking his head, he picks up his beer, downing the rest of it in one… long… swallow. God, the way his Adam's apple moves.

"Bella?" Emmett's voice calls from the doorway. My face is a little overheated as I turn around to face him. "I'm gonna take off and go home… Did you maybe want to ride with me so Edward doesn't have to make the round trip?"

"Um, sure, that'd be great." I hadn't realized that Emmett didn't live _here_. "But if it's out of your way…"

"Nah," he shakes his head. "Rosie and I live in Oak Park. It's west of downtown, so I need to go that way anyway."

"Ok," I agree, standing up and walking to the doorway. I look back at where Edward is staring down at the floor. "Um, bye, Edward."

"Bella?" he calls softly. "I'm so fucking sorry… for everything. I fucked up, and I don't know how to fix it."

I stare back at him, not really knowing what to say. He _did_ fuck up, and I don't know what to tell him about how to fix it. I don't know what I need from him to make it all ok.

"We're playing a show Friday night for Halloween," he continues, "At a bar downtown. You and Alice should come."

"We probably can't get in."

"Ah, we'll get you in," Emmett says. "No sweat. But you need a costume," he adds, winking when I turn to look at him.

"I doubt I can be anything other than the Pillsbury Doughboy," I complain to Emmett's loud laughter.

"Come on, Bella-Boo," he says, his hand on my back to lead me out of the room.

"Goodbye, Bella," Edward calls and I turn around to face him again. "I hope to see you there Friday night."

Downstairs, I have to smile at the way Carlisle and Esme are seated together on the couch. They look so comfortable with each other, so in love. And I want that so much. But I can't have it — at least not with their son.

"Thank you for dinner, Esme."

"Oh, it's my pleasure, dear. You're welcome here anytime, I hope you know that."

"Thank you." I try not to get choked up.

"Are you ok to drive, Son?" his father asks.

"I had one beer, Dad," he replies, rolling his eyes. "See you guys later."

Emmett and I head into the garage and I get my first chance to really look at his Corvette. I open the door, frowning a bit at how low the car sits, but I manage to sit down almost gracefully.

We've pulled out of the Cullens' subdivision before Emmett speaks. "So my brother is an asshole."

"Emmett," I whisper.

"Boy wouldn't know a good thing if it slapped him in the face," he growls.

"Please, Emmett, this is between Edward and me. Don't let it come between the two of you," I beg. "I appreciate that you defended me, but you don't have to do that."

He glances over at me. "You can handle him?"

"I can handle him," I assure him softly.

"He likes you, Bella. I _know_ he does."

I shrug. "Did, maybe."

"No, he _does_," Emmett insists. "I can see it in his eyes when he looks at you."

"I think he likes everything in a skirt… so to speak."

Emmett laughs. "That may be true, but I think you're special to him."

"And I walked away…"

"What?"

"I walked away, after… after we had sex. I had to get back to my group from school by a certain time or I'd get in big trouble," I explain. "Edward offered to walk me back, and I said no, because I was scared that someone would see him and my dad would find out. And Edward thought… he thought that meant I wasn't any different from the girls he's usually with."

"He actually said that?" Emmett asks, sounding confused.

"Yes," I whisper.

"Bella… I don't think he was truly upset about that," he says slowly. "He really was kicking himself for not getting your phone number. Maybe he's using it now to justify what he did, but… don't you dare blame yourself for anything."

I stare down at my hands in my lap. "I thought he wanted to give things a try… I mean, with us. Not just… not just be the baby's father."

"I'm sorry, Bella," Emmett sighs. "I don't know what my brother is thinking. He's still a little ticked off at me for punching him last month."

"You really did that for me?" I whisper.

"I did," he says… rather proudly, it seems. "I walked onto our bus to see some chick on her knees with his dick in her mouth… uh, sorry."

I cringe a little at the visual, but it's not like I didn't already know what had happened. "I thought he was cheating on you," Emmett continues.

I shake my head, though he probably can't see me. "He never made me any promises beyond helping me with the baby."

"Well, even if you two aren't quite on speaking terms, I hope you'll still come to our show Friday night. It should be a lot of fun."

"Do I really need to wear a costume?" I whine. I haven't dressed up for Halloween since I was like, 12.

"Yeah," he laughs, "But it doesn't have to be something elaborate. And you can bring your friend. Don't you dare tell her I said this, but Jasper might have a bit of a thing for her."

"Really?!" Oh my God, I don't care what Emmett says — I _have_ to tell Alice.

"Yeah," he chuckles. "Edward told us she kneed him in his junk when he first met her. Once we got through laughing at him, Jasper said he had to properly meet the little spitfire who isn't so in awe of the big bad rock star."

I smile hugely. "Alice was a little bit upset with the way Edward treated me when I first told him I was pregnant."

"I swear to God…" Emmett growls. "He's a smart kid, he really is. But sometimes he just doesn't think with the head above his shoulders, you know?"

"Esme said he still has some growing up to do," I confess softly.

"I was really hoping that learning he's going to be a father would be the catalyst for that, but…"

I nod sadly, taking a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about Edward anymore." I stare blindly out the window for a few minutes until Emmett speaks again.

"Hey, so, I could maybe tutor you in Calculus if you want, Bella. I majored in Electrical Engineering, so I had to take plenty of math."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Sure," he replies with a shrug. "Gonna have lots of free time on my hands for a while. Edward's really the one with all the pressure on him right now, trying to write songs for the next album. I just lay down the drum tracks. I don't have anything close to his level of talent."

"I'd like that," I reply softly. Emmett may seem like a goofball, but he's obviously an intelligent guy. "But what about Rose?"

"What about her?"

"How will she feel about you helping me? She obviously hates me."

"Rose doesn't hate you."

I snort. "That's what Edward said."

"She _doesn't_," he stresses. "And she's in and out of town a lot anyway, thanks to her own job."

"Why was she so mean to me then?" I ask curiously. "Esme said she was just being protective of Edward, but I don't know."

Emmett sighs, pausing for a minute. "I apologize on Rose's behalf. I think most of it's jealousy."

"What on earth would Rose have to be jealous of?" I ask, my brow furrowed. She's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen in person!

"Rose had some… issues as a teenager — cysts or something. She's unable to have children." I gasp. "So for her to see a young pregnant woman… she's jealous of you, because you'll have something she wants but can never have. Then add in the fact that you'd initially planned to get an abortion…" He shakes his head. "Because of her own difficulties, she's very pro-life."

"But she seemed to think it was a bad thing that I was pregnant," I reply, confused.

"She thinks you don't… deserve a baby. You didn't want it, and you can't take care of a child by yourself — no offense. Why didn't God let _her_ have the baby she wants one day, you know?"

I sit quietly contemplating what Emmett has said. Maybe I misjudged Rosalie? I'd kind of assumed she'd be the type of woman who wouldn't want to have children because pregnancy would mess up her perfect figure. Still, she acted like a total bitch toward me.

"Dad and Esme don't know," Emmett continues. "Rose is pretty private about it… please don't let her know I told you, all right? I just didn't want you to think it was about you."

"I won't tell her," I promise.

"I get off at this next exit, right?"

I look at the sign, but I'm honestly not sure. "I think so? Edward usually turns onto Harrison Street from Halsted."

"Got it," he nods. "I haven't been around this part of the city much."

"Thank you for driving me back, Emmett. With the way things are between Edward and me, it's kind of painful to be in a car with him for so long."

He chuckles. "Yeah, I offered more for you than for him."

"This is my dorm," I point it out and Emmett pulls over to the curb. "Thanks again."

"You want my number?" he asks before I can open the car door. I quickly type Emmett's cell number into my phone, then very, very awkwardly climb out of the car, waving goodbye as his Corvette speeds off.

When I step into my room a few minutes later, Alice is sitting at her desk, working on some sort of art project. She's majoring in Design, though it's primarily computer-based — just what I need right now.

"Get your design hat on, Alice. We need Halloween costumes."

From the way her eyes light up, I am in _so_ much trouble.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Now we know why Rose reacted the way she did to Bella.

Any thoughts on Edward's behavior in this chapter? Has he turned a corner? Who wants a big brother like Emmett?

Any creative ideas for Halloween costumes for Bella? Did any of you dress up while pregnant? I had to Google for some help when I was writing this.

_The Fourth Floor_ made Round 2 in the TwiFic Fandom Awards, so I will post a bonus update on **Sunday**. This will be the last Sunday update until I finish pre-writing!


	22. Halloween

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! We've finally found something you all can agree on: everyone loves Emmett.

Other than that, we've got some readers who are starting to feel a little bit sorry for Edward and think he's turned a corner, and others who still hate him lol.

Enjoy your bonus update!

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 22 — Halloween<em>

"Hold still," Alice scolds me.

"But I'm tired of standing! Can't I sit down now?"

She touches the underside of my stomach to make sure it's dry then agrees, helping me to sit in my desk chair before kneeling down, going back to her painting.

Don't ask me how I agreed to this.

Alice and I are both dressed as black cats for Halloween. I have black leggings, while she has on black tights and a miniskirt. We both have plain black tops, long tails, and cat ears on a headband. She has already painted our faces to match, complete with sexy cat eyes, whiskers, black noses and black lipstick. And let's not forget our black nail polish.

The biggest difference though? Someone in Alice's classes has a sewing machine, so Alice cut the fur out of a fake fur jacket she'd found dirt cheap at Goodwill and sewed it onto her stomach to become her cat's soft, furry belly. Mine? She cut a piece out of my top so that my rounded belly would be bare, and is currently painting it to look like I swallowed a fish bowl — complete with goldfish.

Never, ever let Alice Brandon look up "Halloween costumes for pregnant women" on the internet. Thank God my stomach isn't large enough for most of the ideas she thought were cute.

"All done," she announces, standing up. "Just don't touch for a few more minutes so the paint has a chance to dry."

"I'm going to freeze to death."

"Oh hush, I said you could wear a coat outside."

Alice touches up our makeup then we get ready to go out. I follow her down the stairs, my Chucks making a lot less noise than Alice's high heels.

The bar where the guys are playing is in the Loop, so we decide to take the El. I pull my coat tighter around myself so no one on the train notices my stomach. Surprisingly, we don't get a lot of stares, but then I guess it _is_ Halloween. I swear someone pulled my tail though.

"Tell me again exactly what Emmett said about Jasper," Alice says with a grin as the train shudders to a stop.

"He said Jasper thinks you're a spitfire and that he might have a thing for you," I repeat. She squeals loudly and I laugh, stepping onto the platform.

I don't think I've ever seen Alice so excited. I have to admit that I'm really looking forward to a night out as well, and of course I love seeing The New Moons perform. The only downside is, as Alice so kindly pointed out, there will be other fans at the bar — _female_ fans.

"IDs?" the bouncer asks as we walk up to the door of the bar two blocks later.

"Hold on." I pull out my phone, sending a quick text to Emmett. In less than a minute, he appears in the doorway.

"They're with us," Emmett says. The bouncer motions for us to go inside and I thank Emmett as we get out of the unseasonably cold Fall air. "We're over here," he says, leading us to where two tables have been pushed together, in the corner between the bar and the stage.

Alice taps me on the shoulder, and we remove our coats in perfect sync. "Oh my God," Emmett snorts the moment he catches a glimpse of my stomach. "That's great, Bella!"

"Alice gets all the credit," I reply, shaking my head as I take a seat next to Riley. Alice takes the seat to my left, next to where Jasper sits at the end of the table. Emmett sits across from me, between Rose and Seth. Edward is slouched over on the other end of the table drinking a beer. He barely acknowledges me, despite the fact that we haven't even spoken since I left the Cullens' last Sunday.

"Hey, where are _your_ costumes?" I ask the guys, narrowing my eyes at them.

Seth laughs. "In the back room; we're gonna surprise everyone when we go on stage."

"Can I get you two ladies something to drink?" Jasper asks as he stands up.

"I'll have a Sprite," Alice orders.

"Just an iced tea, maybe?" I shrug. I'm trying to stay away from carbonated drinks.

"Stand up so I can get a better look at your stomach, Bella," Seth suggests. I feel my face heat up as I stand; I hate being the center of attention. "That's awesome," he laughs. "Did you paint that?" he asks, turning to Alice.

"Yeah, I did; I'm majoring in Design," Alice says. "After I've completed the First Year Program, I'm hoping to specialize in Graphic Design," she explains.

"I used to do Commercial Art in high school, but I never thought of trying to make it a career," Seth replies. "I was pretty good though," he adds with a wink.

"I mean no offense, but your stomach sure has grown since the last time I saw you," Riley says as I sit back down.

"I know, I'm huge, right?" I pout. He holds his hands up in a surrender gesture. "I can't believe I still have almost four more months to keep getting bigger."

"Hey, do you want to trade seats, Edward?" Riley asks. Edward looks up, appearing stunned. It seems like he was in his own little world.

"Uh, sure." He stands, hastily swapping seats with Riley. I try not to notice how edible he looks in his black v-neck t-shirt. I really like him in v-necks, where I can see a little peek of chest hair.

Once he's seated next to me, he takes a long drink of his beer, setting the empty bottle back on the table, then begins tearing at the label.

Jasper returns with our drinks and I take a sip through my straw, trying to not be obvious about the way I'm watching Edward. When I feel the baby moving, I decide to try and engage him.

"Your daughter is excited for the show."

"What?" He turns to look at me in obvious confusion.

"She's pretty active right now," I clarify. "In case… in case you want to try to feel her."

He stares at me for a moment, then reaches his hand out tentatively, leaving it hovering over my stomach. "I promise the paint's dry." Giving me a small smile, he finally touches me. He leaves his warm hand there, periodically drawing small circles with his thumb.

We sit and chat for about a half hour before the guys have to go get ready for the show. Rose gets up as well, saying that she's going to help them with their costumes.

"Jasper asked for my phone number," Alice squeals as soon as the guys are too far away to hear us. I smile, happy for my friend. Jasper seems like a nice guy.

"Did he tell you what their costumes are?" I ask.

"No," she pouts. "He said he really liked mine though."

"Well, why shouldn't he? You look great!"

After a few more minutes, Rosalie returns, surprising me by coming to sit in Edward's vacated chair next to me. I must have a strange look on my face, because she explains that she wants to face the stage.

"I like your costumes," Rose adds and my eyes widen. Did she just compliment me? Rose of course looks great as a sexy policewoman.

"They were Alice's idea," I explain quietly.

"How is your pregnancy going?"

"Ok, I'm 24 weeks now. I have my next doctor's appointment on Monday."

She smiles a little. "A girl, right?"

"Yeah, that's what my doctor said, anyway. I can't wait to meet her."

Suddenly the music stops and a man from the bar calls Rose onto the stage. She introduces the band, and we all stand and clap for them. I crane my neck to see down the hall where the guys went to get dressed, anxious to see what their costumes are.

The band comes out to loud cheers and a smattering of laughter. As they climb onto the stage one by one it finally hits me that they — including Rose — are the Village People.

Emmett is dressed in leather biker gear, Jasper is a cowboy wearing a 10-gallon hat, Riley is wearing an authentic-looking Navy uniform, Seth — whose Mexican mother blessed him with gorgeous tan skin — is in full Native American dress, and Edward… well, he's is a shirtless construction worker, complete with an orange hardhat.

Each of the guys high-fives Rose as she leaves the stage, coming back to her spot next to me.

"Stay on your feet, everybody!" Seth yells, leading the crowd in a sing-a-long of the classic Village People hit _Y.M.C.A._

I laugh as I sing along, remembering this song from the one high school homecoming dance that my dad allowed me to attend — with Angela, of course.

The boys launch into one of their own hits next and I stay on my feet as long as I can, singing along and swaying to the music. It's my third time to see The New Moons live now — in three very different venues — and they just seem to get better and better each time.

I really try to watch all five band members and not just stare at Edward. But he's shirtless, his nipple ring shining under the lights. It's almost impossible _not_ to stare.

"Is his nipple pierced?" Alice leans over to ask during a break between songs.

"Yep. I touched it."

"Oh good God," she replies, fanning herself. "His dick isn't pierced too, is it?"

I look at her in horror. "No, of course it's not!" Who would _do_ that?

After the final song, the guys make their way back over to our table after a stop at the bar for beers — all except for Edward. Rose stands up with a small smile, heading over to the bar, and as my eyes follow her, I realize Edward is still over there.

I'm shocked when Rose returns with fresh drinks for Alice and me, along with whatever fruity cocktail she's drinking. She sits on Emmett's lap, kissing him passionately, and I turn my head away.

Wondering what's taking Edward so long, I look back over at the bar and see him drinking a beer while talking to a couple of girls who look barely old enough to be in here. At least he's not touching them.

As we chat, fans keep coming up to the table, asking the guys for autographs. They always oblige with a smile. I think I see a couple of girls slip them their phone numbers on napkins, too.

Finally Edward returns to the table with a fresh beer, sitting beside me. Oh God, there's still a light sheen of sweat covering his bare torso. He removes his hardhat, setting it on the table in front of him before running his hand through his hair until it's the usual unruly mess.

He's barely been sitting for 30 seconds when a girl dressed as a nurse, wearing an almost obscenely short skirt, comes up asking for his autograph. He signs her arm with a smile and she looks like she's going to pass out.

"You really shouldn't do that," I tell him after she rejoins her friends.

"Do what?" he asks with a frown.

"Dazzle people."

"I dazzle people?" he smirks.

"You know you do."

"Do I dazzle you?"

I want to tell him that he _did_, but I know that would be a lie — because I'm struggling to not fall under his spell right now, thanks to the intense way he's looking at me. And the fact that he looks as hot as I've ever seen him.

"Edward?" A blonde with devil ears and the biggest boobs I've ever seen comes up right between us, placing her hand on his bare shoulder. I want to rip it off, but I know it's not my place.

"Would you sign something for me?" she asks in a baby voice, totally ignoring the daggers I'm throwing her way.

"Sure," he smiles that panty-dropping smile.

"You need to stand up first," she says. His brow furrows but he does as she asks. She then hands him a pen, asking him to sign her boobs… which are totally spilling out of her low-cut red top.

Edward grins, more or less grabbing her right breast with his left hand to brace himself as he signs the other one. I want to puke.

"Thanks," she replies, slipping what has to be her number into the waistband of his jeans. As she steps away, she lets her hand trail down until she's practically grabbing his dick through the denim.

I've had enough.

"Alice," I say, turning to her, "I'm gonna head back to the dorm." She starts to protest, but I hold up my hand. "I'll take a cab, not the El."

"Great show, guys," I manage to say as I slip my arms into my coat.

I rush toward the exit, trying to hold back tears. It's one thing to know that Edward and I aren't together, but it's quite another to see him with other women.

"Bella, wait!" I hear Edward yelling after me just as I get through the door and past the bouncer. "Wait!"

"What?" I ask angrily, turning to face him. "Am I just supposed to sit there and watch while you choose your next conquest?"

He grabs my wrist, dragging me over around the corner of the bar. "When we do a show, we are _working_, Bella. Part of our job is to be accommodating to fans. If we're rude to them, it's all over the internet by the next day."

"Signing her boob and letting her grab you is accommodating?" I shout. "I don't want to see that. Now let me go." I try to twist my arm away, but he's holding on to me too tightly. "Let me go, Edward!"

He drops my arm and I immediately try to move around him, but he reaches out, grabbing me around the waist and pulling me into his hard — and still half-naked — body. "I. Don't. Want. Her," he enunciates, staring down at me.

I look up at him defiantly and he walks me backwards, until I feel my back hit the wall of the building. His arms cage me in and I should be afraid of the way he's looking at me — but I'm not.

"I'm a fucking idiot," he whispers.

Before I can ask what he meant by that, his lips are on mine, moving roughly, claiming me. His tongue fights its way into my mouth, and God, I want him.

And so I kiss him back, despite the fact that he tastes like beer — and the nagging feeling that my body is being disloyal to my heart. I bring my arms up around his neck, trying to pull his head down as I let go, let my body do what it wants.

I feel his hands under my backside and then he's lifting me up, pressing himself firmly against my stomach since it's kind of in the way. My legs instinctually wrap around him, holding on tight. I pull and tug at his hair while our tongues tangle together. It's so, so good; I'd almost forgotten how amazing his kisses are.

When I feel his erection rubbing against me, my brain starts to wake up from its Edward-induced coma. It's not _me_ that he wants — it's my body. Girls seem to be more or less interchangeable to him.

I let go of his hair and unwind my legs, pushing against his shoulders until he takes a step back and my feet drop to the ground. I look up at him, all stormy eyes and swollen lips, and I'm angry — with him for kissing me and with myself for going along with it.

He moves in close as if to kiss me again and without another thought, I reach up my right hand, slapping him hard across the face.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Bella's costume inspiration (damn I was fighting with FF to put this in here): www . creatingreallyawesomefreethings d-o-t-com / wp-content/uploads/2013/09/stroller-strides-kids-halloween-costume-photography-monrovia-4 . jpg

**I'm anxious to know what you think about the new developments in this chapter!**

Next update on **Tuesday** and then we'll drop back to twice a week, at least until I can finish pre-writing.

* * *

><p><em>The Fourth Floor<em> has made it to Round 2 in the TwiFic Fandom Awards for Favorite Ficlette (non-expanded one-shot)! Voting starts today (bit .ly/1hd9SPF) and runs through November 22. The voting link will also be on my profile. Please take the time to vote for me if you enjoyed the story! I'm up against some really big name authors. And if you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?


	23. Alone

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! We're back to not agreeing, though the vast majority think Edward was an idiot in the way he behaved with the fans and had had that slap coming for a long time.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 23 — Alone<em>

Edward stares at me in shock for a moment, breathing heavily. "What the fuck, Bella?" he finally yells.

"I will not be one of your whores!" While he stands motionless I brush past him, walking as quickly as I can to the curb so that I can try to hail a cab. It's absolutely freezing out here, I now realize.

"Bella!" he shouts, running up to me. "Come back inside."

"No!" When I see a taxi up the street, I wave my hand frantically, breathing a sigh of relief when I see its blinker go on.

"Bella, please," he begs.

"Goodnight, Edward." I open the back door, sliding inside the warm cab. I give the driver the address of my dorm and he pulls away. I refuse to look back at Edward.

I pay the cabbie and climb out just a few minutes later. Inside I remove my ears and tail then start taking my clothes off. I'm too tired to wash the paint off my stomach tonight, but I do head to the bathroom to try to clean at least most of the makeup off my face before brushing my teeth.

The tears don't start until I crawl under the covers. I swear to God, Edward Masen is the most confusing boy who's ever lived. If he wants me, then why did he have sex with other girls? The fact that he didn't get beyond a blowjob either time is beside the point — he was planning to have intercourse with both of them.

Or did he only kiss me tonight because I was the nearest female? Does he think of me as a convenient lay? I can't imagine what I ever did to give him _that_ impression, I think sarcastically. Maybe it's my own fault that he treats me this way, given how easily I got naked for him the first time we met.

I punch my pillow a few times, then wipe my tears. I chant Alice's words to myself over and over: "He's not worth it."

~*~*GN*~*~

"What did you do to Edward last night?" a fully dressed Alice asks pretty much the moment I regain consciousness.

"What do you mean?" I hedge.

"Well, when he came back inside, he swapped beer for shots. And then there was the handprint on his face and smudges of black lipstick on those pouty lips."

My eyes widen and I sit up in my bed. "How did he get home?"

Alice's eyes narrow as she stares back at me. "Riley doesn't live far from Edward's parents; he drove him home. Are you actually concerned about him?"

"Of course I am!" I protest. "I mean, he's my daughter's father." I breathe a sigh of relief that Edward didn't try to drive back to Evanston drunk.

"So what happened?"

"He kissed me. And then I slapped him," I add with a shrug. I'm editing, but I'm not in the mood for a lecture from Alice right now.

"I don't understand that boy at all," Alice says, shaking her head.

"That makes two of us."

I stand up, gathering my things, and head to the bathroom to take a shower. It takes 10 minutes of scrubbing to get my stomach clean.

Alice and I go to the Student Center for breakfast, and she tells me all about the date she and Jasper have planned for tonight. I really am happy for her.

I have a paper due on Monday, so I spend most of the weekend in my dorm, working on that. I admit to checking my phone every once in a while. I had expected Edward to call or text to figure out the logistics for my doctor's appointment Monday, and am surprised when he doesn't.

What if I've pushed him too far and now he doesn't want anything to do with me _or_ our baby?

~*~*GN*~*~

By Monday afternoon, I still haven't heard from Edward and my appointment is at 3pm. I finally decide to just go by myself, taking the Blue Line train two stops before walking south a few blocks to the clinic.

I give my name to the receptionist and sit nervously in the waiting room. At least I don't seem to be the only pregnant woman here alone.

When my name is called, I follow the nurse back, closing my eyes this time when I step on the scale. I don't want to know. She collects all of the usual vitals, then hands me a cup for a urine specimen.

"Good afternoon, Bella," Dr. Gerandy calls as she walks into the examining room. "Your boyfriend couldn't make it today?"

"Um, Edward's not actually my boyfriend," I admit, feeling my face flame.

"Oh, I-I'm sorry, I assumed he was."

"Easy mistake," I shrug. "He's the baby father's, but we're not together. We, um, had a fight, so… yeah. I'm here alone."

"A fight?" she asks, raising one eyebrow. "Isabella, if there's any violence—"

"No!" I shout. "Nothing like that. Edward would never hurt me." Physically, anyway.

"No? I noticed he had a black eye at your last appointment."

"His brother did that," I explain.

"All right," she replies with a soft smile. "So, let's get down to business. How are things going with you? Any more dizziness?"

"Just a couple of times. I feel fine… just fat," I whine.

She chuckles. "Have you had a flu shot?"

"Yeah, about three weeks ago."

"Great. Have you been feeling the baby moving?"

"Yeah," I nod. "She moves a lot. And I guess it's been about a week now that others have been able to feel it, too."

"Good," Dr. Gerandy smiles. "She's getting stronger. We don't need to do an ultrasound today, but we can listen to her heartbeat."

She has me sit back while she brings a fetal Doppler to my stomach, and the sound of the heartbeat fills the room. "Excellent," she nods.

Using a tape measure, the doctor measures the size of my stomach, making the notations in my chart. "You're perfectly on target, Bella," she says with a smile.

"I'm not huge?"

"No," she laughs. "You're just right for 24 weeks."

_Great._

"I'm going to have you go downstairs for another blood test before you leave. We need to check regularly for anemia. Your urine tests aren't showing any issues, so we can probably wait, but next time, I'd like to schedule a glucose screening test to be sure you aren't developing gestational diabetes. You're in a very low risk group, so some doctors wouldn't even test you, but the consequences of untreated diabetes can be so severe for both mom and the baby that I prefer to test all of my patients."

"Um, ok."

"You'll need to allow at least an hour here, so keep that in mind when you make the appointment," she suggests. "Now, do you have any questions for me?"

I take a deep breath. "Um… the semester is over December 12th. I, um… my dad lives in Washington state."

"And you'd like to travel to see him for the holidays?"

'Like to' is a little strong, but I know I have to see him. "Yes," I whisper.

"Hmmm…" she hums, looking at a calendar. "You'll be 30 weeks by that point. Unless there are any problems noted at your next visit, I'll allow it, but I'd like you to come back as quickly as you can after Christmas. Some airlines may not let you fly as you get closer to your due date. I can give you some tips next time for what to do during the flight."

"All right, I can do that." I hope… it's not like I'll have anywhere to live in Chicago once the Fall semester ends. I really need to try to find my own apartment soon. I'm sure the Cullens would let me stay with them if I have no other options, but I'm not sure where Edward and I stand right now. And it's too far to commute from Evanston to school, though I know one of the El train lines does go all the way up there.

"I'd also recommend that you start looking into childbirth classes. You don't want to wait until the last minute, in case the baby comes early."

My eyes widen a little. I'd been trying not to think about the fact that the baby will need to get _out_ somehow.

"You'll need a partner, so I hope you and Edward can work things out."

"Me too," I whisper. "My roommate could be my partner too, right?"

"Yes, of course," she smiles.

Dr. Gerandy walks me out to the receptionist, where I pay the $15 co-pay, then schedule an appointment for four weeks from today, on December 1.

I'm thankful that the nurse takes a lot less blood this time, since Edward isn't here to hold my hand. I stay to drink all of the juice she gives me before walking back to the nearest El station.

~*~*GN*~*~

The rest of the week goes by without a peep from Edward — no calls, no texts… no showing up on our doorstep.

I'm well aware that I could reach out to him, but what would I say? I'm not exactly sorry that I slapped him, that I refuse to let myself be taken advantage of again.

He's the one who needs to apologize, right?

Alice and I head over to the Student Center for breakfast on Saturday morning, a week after Halloween. As soon as we step out of our building, I see the solitary figure seated just a few feet away, his arms wrapped around his bent knees. He's wearing a dark red beanie covering his trademark hair, but I'd know him anywhere.

He looks up at the sound of our footsteps, staring up at me. "Are you busy?" he asks quietly.

When I don't respond, Alice answers for me, "We're just going to get some breakfast."

"I, um, brought enough for all three of us," he replies, holding up a large bag.

"I'll pass," Alice says. "You two should talk though." She walks away, leaving me alone with Edward. He stands up and I try not to stare at his sexy black leather jacket.

"Should we go in?" he asks quietly.

I turn back to the door, opening it and holding it for Edward as he trails behind me. Upstairs, I remove my jacket, hanging it over the back of my desk chair, and sit heavily on my bed.

Edward stands awkwardly for a moment before coming to sit beside me, though a couple of feet away. He opens the bag, pulling out a large red doughnut with a napkin, and hands it to me.

"Red velvet doughnuts from Glazed and Infused — these things kick ass," he tells me, pulling out a chocolate doughnut covered in tiny chocolate curls. "I've got sprinkles also — two of each kind. Consider it a peace offering."

A peace offering? I want to growl at him, wondering what took him a week, but I remain silent, taking a bite of the doughnut with cream cheese frosting. _Holy shit, this is good!_

"I thought we could hang out today, unless… unless you have work to do for school."

"Hang out?" I repeat, clearing my throat. We're still barely on speaking terms!

"Yeah, just… start over. We could go to Shedd Aquarium now?"

I look over at him and he stares back, green eyes equal parts sad, apprehensive and maybe hopeful. It's too intense and I have to turn away, covering by taking another bite of my delicious doughnut.

"We need to get along, Bella… for the baby's sake."

"Ok," I whisper.

"Ok, what?"

"I'll hang out with you today and… try to get along. Just, don't throw other women in my face."

He sighs loudly, throwing his head back as he stares at the ceiling. I look at his perfect profile and I just… ugh.

"Deal," he says quietly. He reaches into the bag, pulling out another red velvet doughnut. "You want it?"

"Half, maybe. I want to try the chocolate one."

Smiling, he attempts to tear the doughnut into equal parts, then lets me choose my own half. When I finish that piece, I dig into the bag for the other chocolate doughnut and tear it in two. I offer the other half to Edward, but he declines, choosing to eat half of one with sprinkles instead.

"Alice is going to be sorry she turned these down. They're way better than the cafeteria breakfasts."

He smiles. "We can leave the bag for her and she can eat them for lunch, I guess."

"Good idea." Once I've finished stuffing my face, I dash off a quick note to Alice, leaving it on her bed along with the bag. I put my jacket back on and follow Edward outside.

"Can we take the El?" I ask.

Edward shakes his head. "Not all the way there; we'd have to transfer to a bus. It's a pretty easy drive." I follow him to the parking lot where he always parks his Porsche, waiting for him to open the passenger side door for me.

Edward is right about it being a fairly quick, easy drive over to Shedd Aquarium. We're there before I can figure out what to say to him. After he's parked the car, we stand in line to get tickets.

We spend a few hours walking around the exhibits on the main level. We don't speak a lot, except about what we're seeing, and really, that's fine with me.

He also doesn't try to touch me at all. I'm not really sure how I feel about that. I mean, the last time he touched me, I slapped him, so I can kind of understand why he's avoiding it. But I find myself missing his seemingly casual touches — hand on the small of my back, holding my hand as we walk.

On the other hand, I know I'm an Edward Masen addict. I can't stop at one touch, I'll always want more. But I can't have more. Or maybe I _can_ have more, but I'd be nothing but a casual fling to Edward, the same as our first time was. It meant nothing to him… which I knew at the time, but still.

I don't want to think about it anymore.

My stomach growls loudly while we're viewing the Great Lakes exhibit and Edward laughs. "Your daughter is hungry," I tell him with a shrug.

"Not her mother?" he asks with a wink. And so we grab a quick lunch in the Bubble Net Food Court, then go downstairs to see the sharks in the Wild Reef. So freakin' cool.

"Want to see a show?" Edward asks. I nod eagerly, following him to the amphitheater for the aquatic show with dolphins and Beluga whales. After the amazing show, we check out the special exhibit with jellyfish then see a live dive in the Caribbean reef.

"Had enough?" Edward asks, noticing that I seem to be dragging.

"Yeah," I admit.

We make a quick stop in the gift shop, where Edward buys a stuffed tiger shark for me. "Our daughter's first stuffed animal," he says quietly.

I give him a small smile, clutching the shark as we walk outside and back to his car. _Ugh, why does he have to be so sweet sometimes?_

We drive back to UIC in silence; I sure don't know what to say to him. "Can I come up?" he asks quietly as we near campus.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** If you're ever in Chicago, try the red velvet doughnuts from Glazed and Infused. I had them back in June and they really are that good.

So, they're starting over. Any thoughts on that? I know some of you are going to tell me that Bella gave in to Edward too easily. ;)

I'm working today, so I can't promise to get through all review replies before I need to go to bed, but I'll finish them Wednesday night for sure.

Next update on **Friday**.

* * *

><p><em>The Fourth Floor<em> has made it to Round 2 in the TwiFic Fandom Awards for Favorite Ficlette (non-expanded one-shot)! Voting (bit .ly/1hd9SPF) runs through November 22. The voting link will also be on my profile. Please take the time to vote for me if you enjoyed the story! I'm up against some really big name authors. And if you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?


	24. Hang Out

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! The majority do seem to feel Bella gave it too easily, but a pretty sizable minority feel she's doing the mature thing by putting her own feelings aside for the sake of the baby.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 24 — Hang Out<em>

I look over at Edward sharply, figuring he'd be sick of the awkwardness between us by now.

"Please?" he begs. "We really need to talk, Bella."

His eyes look sincere, and as always, I can't resist him. "Ok, you can come up… for a little while."

He parks his Porsche and I climb out of the car, walking beside him back to my dorm. Once we've reached my room, I hang my jacket over the back of my desk chair again, then take a seat on my bed, still hugging the stuffed animal. I notice the bag of doughnuts is missing from where I'd left it on top of Alice's bed.

Edward removes his leather jacket for the first time and I try hard not to drool at his dark green v-neck t-shirt. It totally plays up the color of his eyes. Not to mention the chest and bicep porn.

He removes his beanie — finally — and tosses it onto my desk, running his hand through his hair until it looks like the very definition of sex hair. _Ugh, stop thinking about Edward and sex in the same sentence…_

He sits down beside me, then toes his black boots off and brings his feet up onto the bed, totally making himself comfortable.

"What was with the hat today?" I ask, searching for something innocuous to begin with. "It's not that cold out."

He shrugs. "Didn't want anyone here or at Shedd to recognize me."

So much for innocuous… I can't help wondering if he's getting any extra attention from the general public since his picture was featured on TMZ.

"When is your doctor's appointment again?" he continues. "It should be coming up, right?"

I turn and stare at Edward for a moment before answering. "It was last Monday."

"Fuck, really? Shit. With everything that's happened over the last month, I just remembered that it was in November." His brow furrows. "Why didn't you call or text me? Did you just go by yourself?"

"Yeah, I went by myself — took the El. I thought… I thought maybe you were so mad at me for slapping you that you didn't want to go," I admit.

Edward sighs, his face falling, and suddenly I feel kind of bad for just assuming that he'd remember the date and time when we hadn't spoken of it in a month.

"I wasn't mad," he says softly. "I mean, I guess I kinda deserved that. I truly am sorry, Bella."

I nod, not really wanting to rehash it all right now.

"You didn't miss much," I tell him. "We didn't do an ultrasound, just listened to the heartbeat."

He looks over at me, giving me a small smile. "What else did the doctor say?"

"She said everything is going fine. Next time I have to take some glucose screening test that takes like an hour, to make sure I'm not developing gestational diabetes.

"And I, uh… I asked her about going back to Forks to see my dad after finals."

His eyes widen as he stares at me. "Have you told him yet?" I shake my head. "So you'll tell him at Christmas?"

"Yeah… I mean, unless I've got a really good excuse not to go home for Winter Break, I don't have much of a choice."

He nods. "I think… I think that's a good idea."

"Dr. Gerandy said I can go, but I need to come back to Chicago right after Christmas, even though classes don't start until January 12th.

"I, um… I guess I need to find an apartment by the time I get back."

"I'll take care of it, Bella," he replies instantly.

"Edward, I—"

"I said I'll take care of it. You and the baby are my responsibility." He shakes his head. "Did you think I'd let you be homeless or something?"

I set the shark down next to me, then twist my hands together in my lap. I don't really like having to accept help from Edward, but… I need it. As we race toward finals week, I just don't have time to go out looking for a place to live. I wouldn't even know where to begin.

"Thank you," I whisper.

Edward slowly reaches his hand out toward me then stops, pulling it back. "Am I allowed to touch you?"

Part of me wants to tell him no, but the way he's looking at me, the way his eyes are pleading with me to forgive him, to accept him… to do whatever he wants.

I close my eyes, nodding slightly. And then I feel his hand touch mine, tugging my left one away from its partner. He entwines our fingers, squeezing lightly, and I feel such a lump in my throat that for a moment, I can't breathe.

We sit there for a few minutes in silence, just holding hands. And it's nice, after the drama of the last three weeks. I hope we can be friends, for the baby's sake. She deserves to have both of her parents around as much as possible.

Finally I open my eyes. "Where have you been for the last week?" I ask quietly.

"Well, I woke up Saturday with the mother of all hangovers," he whines.

"Alice said you switched to shots after I left."

"Yeah… not my brightest move. I'm not sure I've done anything right since… since I stopped you from having the abortion," he says quietly.

"You had someone drive you home last week." At least not driving home drunk was the right thing.

"Riley! I didn't go home with one of the fans," he replies sarcastically.

"No, I… I know that. I was kind of surprised though," I admit.

He sighs loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You don't think very highly of me, do you?"

That stops me short for a minute. What _do_ I think of Edward now? I know that I've lost all trust in him, but… he knows that, too.

"I don't think you're a monster," I reply softly. "You're so incredibly talented. And I think… I think you're basically a good person, you just… don't always think with _this_ head, you know?" I reach out, ruffling his hair with the hand he's not holding.

He grins, trying to scoot away without letting go of my hand. When he giggles, I can't stop the smile from overtaking my face. It feels so good to lighten the mood between us that I keep it up until he falls backwards, pulling me down with him onto his hard chest.

The mood changes on a dime as he stares up at me — stares at my lips. I quickly tug my hand out of his and sit up. Edward closes his eyes, sighing as he brings his hands up to scrub at his face.

"Sorry," he mumbles.

His eyes are still closed, allowing me the chance to stare. He really is beautiful; maybe things would be easier if he wasn't so beautiful.

And then I realize he never actually answered my question.

"Edward?" I wait for his eyes to flutter open. "Tell me what you've been doing for the past week."

"I've just been home," he shrugs. "Writing songs. Kicking my own ass. You know, fun shit like that." I raise one eyebrow. "I wanted to give you a chance to cool off. If you'd reminded me about your appointment, I would've come with you, though."

"I know," I nod. "I'm sor—"

"No," he interrupts. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's all on me."

"Um," I continue, "Dr. Gerandy also said I should start looking into childbirth classes."

Edward's eyes widen and he gazes up at me. "You still have lots of time, right?"

"Yeah, but she said not to wait until the last minute, in case the baby comes early. So, um, I looked online and the next five-week session starts November 18th. But the last class would be after I leave for Forks. Plus I'll be really busy with finals the week before. I'll probably sign up for the session starting December 30th."

"Ok," he shrugs, "Whatever you want."

I stare down at him, not quite sure he's absorbing what I'm saying. "Most women have a partner for their childbirth classes."

His brow furrows for a moment. "Are you asking me to be your partner, or telling me that you don't want me to be?"

"I-I'd like you to be my partner, unless… unless you don't want to be." I hold my breath waiting for his reply.

"Why wouldn't I? I mean, she's my baby too."

"Ok," I nod, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'll sign us up then?"

"Sure," he shrugs. "If it's not free, just tell me how much and I'll pay for it."

"Um, I think it's $90 per couple." I fidget nervously, still hating to ask Edward for money.

"Whatever you need, Bella."

My stomach growls and I giggle. "I think right now I need to be fed." I stand up, stretching.

"Do you want to go out and grab something?" Edward asks, sitting up.

"Um… I can just go to the Student Center. I have a meal plan," I shrug.

He looks up at me for a moment while I fidget nervously. "Can I come with you?"

"I-I guess. I'm just gonna go to the bathroom, then we can go, all right?"

When I come back to the room, Edward has his shoes, jacket and beanie on, covering those biceps and that hair. I mourn the loss of them.

I'm surprised when he holds out my coat, helping me into it. Together we walk outside and just down the street to the Student Center East.

"Looks like it's chicken enchilada casserole again," I tell Edward as I grab a tray. "It's actually pretty good."

I try to be a good pregnant woman and get some steamed broccoli along with my Mexican rice. I watch Edward curiously as he chooses a basket of French fries along with his enchiladas. "I don't like this kind of rice," he says with a shrug.

I use my meal plan i-card to pay for Edward's meal, too, then we find a table in the corner where he can face away from any other students. As we eat, I notice the way he keeps turning his head and looking around at everything though.

"Do you think you'll ever go to college?" I ask quietly.

"Do I look like college material to you?" he scoffs. "I'm not smart enough."

"What kind of grades did you get in high school?"

"B's and C's," he shrugs. "I wasn't an awful student, but I just wasn't that interested in learning anything but the piano."

"I don't suppose you know what your dad did for a living?" He shakes his head. "You should ask your mom sometime if you're curious."

"Maybe."

"So what do you do around here for fun?" Edward asks when I finish my meal.

"There's a bowling alley, billiards and video arcade right here in the Student Center. There's also a Student Recreation Facility with a pool, racquetball, climbing wall… stuff like that. I've never been there, for obvious reasons."

Edward grins. "Can we go to the arcade?"

"Yeah, I guess. I went there on my birthday; Alice organized a group to hang out that night."

We get up and Edward throws away our trash, then comes back to me. "When was your birthday?" he asks.

"September 13th."

"You should've told me, Bella; I would've sent you a present."

"It's ok," I assure him, leading him toward the arcade.

Edward tells me he's great at pinball, so we go to one of the pinball machines first, setting it for two players. Safe to say he kicks my ass.

After a couple of hours, my phone beeps with an incoming text. I wait until I lose another life then check the screen.

**Where R U?**

I roll my eyes, letting Alice know that I'm in the arcade with Edward. "Alice," I tell him, when he looks at me curiously.

"Is she coming over here?"

I shrug. "I don't know, she just wondered where I was. Why? Are you still scared of her?"

"Yes." I can't help my grin. "So she's gone out with Jasper a couple of times, I hear."

"Yeah," I nod. "She really likes him." I can't help wishing things were so easy between Edward and me.

"Hope he doesn't piss her off." I giggle and he glares at me.

"So which hurt worse, Alice's knee or the black eye Emmett gave you?"

"Honestly?" He turns so that he's leaning against the machine. "You did."

I gasp, staring up at him. I didn't hit him all _that_ hard, but somehow I know he doesn't mean physically.

"Sorry," he mumbles, staring down at his feet. "Forget I said that."

I reach out hesitantly, taking Edward's hand in mine. "You get why I can't be with you that way, right?"

He nods slowly, squeezing my hand. "I know I messed up," he whispers.

"I'm sure you won't be hurting for female companionship," I blurt out.

His eyes burn into mine and for just a moment, I feel like there's something he's trying to say. I wish I could read his mind.

"Come on," he says, motioning to his left and the Ms. Pac-Man machine, "Let's go take on one of the classics."

An hour later, Edward has to grudgingly admit that I'm better at Ms. Pac-Man than he is — thanks to it being one of only two video games in the Forks bowling alley.

It's nearly 10:30 so we decide to call it a night. He's grabs my hand as we walk toward the exit… and I let him. Before we can make it outside, we run in to Tyler and a couple of his friends coming out of the bowling alley.

"Hey, Bella," he greets me, eyeing Edward curiously, as well as our joined hands.

"Um, hey. This is… this is Edward. Edward, this is Tyler; he's in my Biology study group."

"Oh, this is Jared and Paul," he introduces his friends, who seem to be staring at my stomach.

"Nice to meet you," I greet them quietly. "Um, have a good night."

Edward and I continue outside into the chilly night, walking back toward my dorm. "Tyler has a thing for you," he says suddenly.

"No, he—ok, yeah. He asked me out on my birthday, but I turned him down," I explain.

"How come?"

"Be-because he didn't have all of the facts. I wasn't showing then. It's not like he would've been interested if he knew."

"Were you interested in _him_?" he asks curiously, maybe a little possessively.

I shrug. "He's kinda cute and he's a nice guy, but… no, I wasn't." He's no Edward.

We stop walking when we reach my dorm and he drops my hand. "Um, would you want to come to the family dinner tomorrow?" Edward asks.

"I really shouldn't… I hung out with you all day instead of doing homework. I have a big project due in one of my classes on Monday."

"Right, ok… um, I'll see you later then." He leans down, placing a soft kiss on my cheek, then begins walking toward the parking lot.

I watch him for a moment, then sigh, turning to head inside, not quite ready to face the inquisition from Alice.

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><p><strong>AN:** What's that, not a cliffhanger? Enjoy it while it lasts.

So, they talked. Did these two communication-challenged kids cover everything you wanted them to? Is Edward digging himself out of the hole, at least a little bit?

I'm working today, so I can't promise to get through all review replies before I need to go to bed, but I'll finish them Saturday for sure.

Next update on **Tuesday**. I've written 60 chapters, but I'm not finished yet, so I need to keep updates to twice a week.

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><p><em>The Fourth Floor<em> has made it to Round 2 in the TwiFic Fandom Awards for Favorite Ficlette (non-expanded one-shot)! Voting (bit .ly/1hd9SPF) runs through November 22 (tomorrow!). The voting link will also be on my profile. Please take the time to vote for me if you enjoyed the story! I'm up against some really big name authors. And if you haven't read it, what are you waiting for?


	25. Anniversary

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! There was a little bit of softening toward Edward after the last chapter! Still, I get responses ranging from "great talk" to "they barely scraped the surface."

Bonus update today to take advantage of the fact that I'm not working all week.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

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><p><em>Chapter 25 — Anniversary<em>

When I wake up the following Saturday, I don't want to get out of bed. I never want to get out of bed when this day comes along. Of course, it doesn't often fall on a weekend, so I _have_ to get up. Today I plan to take advantage of the fact that I have no reason to move from my cozy spot under the covers.

Once I've explained the significance of the day to Alice, she offers to bring me a smoothie for breakfast from the Tropical Smoothie Café in the Student Recreation Facility.

While she's gone, my mind goes back over the last week. As I'd expected and feared, I had to deal with questions from Tyler in Biology on Tuesday morning. When he asked if Edward is "the guy," I had to admit that yes, he is. It was obvious that Tyler didn't recognize Edward though, and I didn't volunteer that little bit of info.

Speaking of Edward, I didn't see him all week, though Emmett came over Wednesday afternoon to tutor me in Calculus. I think maybe I almost get it now, but thank God this is the only math course I need to take in college.

Emmett said his brother has been hard at work writing song after song for their next album, so I don't want to bother him. I figure he'll come to me if he wants to hang out; I'm not reaching out to him. I try hard to believe Emmett's explanation and not the part of my brain telling me Edward may be with other girls. That's a large part of why I refused his advances — so I don't have to worry about where he is when he's not with me.

Unfortunately, I still worry.

When Alice returns, I grudgingly sit up to drink my breakfast. "Do you wanna talk about it?" she asks gently.

I shake my head, sipping my smoothie. "You know, you can go out if you want to," I assure her. "You don't need to sit here and babysit me all day."

"I have plans with Jasper, but not until later. I can stay until then." Alice sits on her own bed, typing away on her phone; I imagine she's texting Jasper.

Of course, eventually I have to get up when I need to use the bathroom, so I go ahead and brush my teeth while I'm there, crawling back under the covers when I'm done.

When my phone rings, I look at the number on the screen, closing my eyes when I see my dad's number.

"Hi, Dad," I answer it.

"_Hey, Bells._" His voice sounds so sad, so tired.

"Is Billy there with you?" I don't like my father to be alone on this day.

"_Yeah, we're watching some college football game on TV. What about you?_"

"My roommate is here babysitting me." I look up at Alice, who sticks her tongue out at me.

"_I was thinking,_" he pauses to clear his throat, "_I was thinking of going to her grave next weekend. I thought I could never set foot in Seattle again, but I managed, driving you to the airport._"

"I think that's a great idea, Dad," I reply, feeling myself tear up.

"_I know she's not really there — not her spirit, anyway — but…_"

"I get it." And I do. I've always felt almost disloyal for the fact that I haven't visited my own mother's grave since shortly after she was buried, before Dad and I left Seattle for good.

"_You still planning on coming home for Christmas?_"

I close my eyes, taking a deep breath. "Yeah, but I don't have a flight yet. My last day of finals is the 12th, so I'll probably have to be out of my room the next day. I-I'll let you know when I book a flight."

"_I miss you, kid._"

"I miss you too, Dad."

We chat for another few minutes about everything and nothing. The tears don't start until after I hang up. Tears for a life cut way too short — she wasn't even 30, for God's sake. And tears for the life I could've had if only Mom hadn't been working that fateful day.

I wonder sometimes if it's my fault she's dead. If she'd never gotten pregnant with me, she could've gone on to college, become the schoolteacher she'd always dreamed of being. I know she wouldn't have been a bank teller, that's for sure.

Angela told me I was an idiot the first time I was brave enough to tell her that. Doesn't mean it's not still there in the back of my mind though.

Alice sits with me as I lie there, trying to brush my hair back, but I just need to cry it out. Her phone pings and she gets up to check it.

"I'm going to the bathroom," she states suddenly.

"Whatever," I give a half-hearted shrug. I don't need a play-by-play.

I don't bother to open my eyes when the door opens a couple of minutes later. I hear Alice's footsteps walking across the floor for a few seconds, then the sound of the door closing, as if she'd forgotten to close it and had to go back and do it.

Odd. But not odd enough to make me open my eyes.

"Bella?"

That's not Alice's voice.

I blink my eyes open, narrowing them at where Edward stands in front of the door. Alice is nowhere in sight.

"What are you doing here?" I croak out, sitting up and holding my blanket to my chest. My pajama top is a t-shirt, but I'm not wearing a bra.

"Alice asked me to come." _Why that little…_

"I don't need a babysitter," I grumble. "Where'd she get your number?"

"From Jasper," he shrugs. Oh yeah, of course.

He takes his leather jacket off, revealing that beige thermal top I love so much. I try not to stare as he walks over to me, pulling his boots off as he sits down beside me. I don't even protest when he gathers me into his arms.

The tears start up again, full force, the moment he's holding me.

"Bella," he whispers. "Shhh… it's ok."

I shake my head, unable to explain right now how Edward's presence, and all he represents, has made everything _worse_. He squeezes me tighter and I try to breathe him in, try to let his scent calm me as it always does. He combs his fingers through my hair — which I haven't brushed — and I try to concentrate on his soft touches.

When my tears finally stop, I reluctantly pull away from him, reaching for the box of tissues. I look back at Edward after I've wiped my face and he crooks his finger. With a small smile, I go back to the safety of his arms.

"So… this is the date your mom died?" he asks tentatively. I nod, knowing he can feel it. "Is it this bad every year?"

"No," I whisper. "It's worse this year because… because she'll never meet her granddaughter. And my baby will never know her grandmother."

Edward squeezes me a little tighter. "And," I continue, "What if a month from now, I don't have my dad either?"

"That's not going to happen, Bella."

"You don't know that," I cry in frustration.

"Bella, what kind of man would he be if he walked away from his daughter because she's about to make him a grandpa?"

I turn and look at him. "Maybe the same kind of man who'd turn away his pregnant girlfriend and never see his son?"

At the stricken look on his face, I immediately backtrack. "Oh God… I didn't mean…"

Edward shakes his head. "No, you're right. My dad's an asshole. But I know that your dad isn't like that."

"How do you know that?" I whisper. He's never met my dad!

"Because he raised you, and you're the best person I know." He gives me a tiny smile and I can't help returning it.

"Why don't you lie down," he suggests, lying back along the wall.

"I—"

"I'll stay on top of the covers," he adds, rolling his eyes.

Slowly, I lie back down, facing away from Edward, a little startled when I feel his arm come around me, rubbing lightly on my stomach for a few minutes. He then lifts my hair out of the way, placing it underneath my head, and rubs my shoulder.

"Will you tell me about your mom, Bella?"

I smile to myself, trying to remember her. "She was a great mom," I begin quietly. "Not like one of those TV moms who always has a plate of cookies ready after school. She had so many dreams, and she liked to try new things. She did yoga and Pilates, saying she didn't want to look like a mom. One year she took a pottery class and I remember the ugly ashtrays she made everyone for Christmas that year whether they smoked or not," I chuckle.

I hear Edward's chuckle behind me before he places a kiss on my shoulder, over my t-shirt.

"She believed in crystals, and how they could heal you. She, um, grew up in Sedona, Arizona, and that kind of thing was really popular there. She had this bracelet she always wore that was supposed to," I pause, choking up a little, "Supposed to keep anything bad from happening to you."

I feel Edward take a deep breath, then he brings his hand up, kneading my tense shoulder.

"Tell me about the day she died," he whispers.

I swallow thickly, taking a deep breath.

"It was just an ordinary day. I got up, went to school… A neighbor usually watched me after school while Mom and Dad were still at work, but that day when I got home, Dad was already there. He-he sat me down and he told me that God had asked my mommy to come and live with him."

A sob chokes me and Edward's arms pull me tighter, his lips placing soft kisses everywhere he can reach. The first time he touches bare skin, I break out in goosebumps. I may even whimper a little.

"At her funeral it was so surreal, seeing her lying there in a casket. I remember they — they put lipstick on her, and she never wore lipstick. There were so many people there, people I didn't know — all of her co-workers, the other guys on the police force with my dad… even the mayor. They all repeated that it was such a shock, so sudden, and how awful it was.

"My grandmother fainted when she walked up to the casket. And everyone just kept telling me what a pretty dress I had on. After she was buried, everyone came back to our house for little sandwiches; I think our neighbor made them."

Edward is stroking my arm now, dropping kisses on the back of my neck… it's starting to get hard to think.

"I didn't find out what had happened to her until I went back to school. All the other kids were talking about it. It was all over the news, I guess — bank robbery gone wrong. These kids who had known me since kindergarten suddenly didn't know what to say to me anymore.

"Sometimes I wonder how my life would've been different if Mom had lived," I whisper. "Dad moved us to Forks over Christmas break. I was the odd one out, the new kid for a while, before I became friends with Angela. I definitely went through an awkward phase," I chuckle. "Thank God for Angela's mom when I needed to get my first bra, and… other things."

I can feel myself blushing, my skin heating up. Edward's lips touch that spot where my neck meets my shoulder, sucking gently, and…

I roll over slightly, turning my head a little bit to face him. Eyes closed, he leans in to brush a soft kiss along my burning skin, hitting my lips instead. His eyes fly open and he stares at me for a moment. When I don't protest, he moves his lips slowly over mine, kissing me softly… like our first kiss.

I know I shouldn't do this, but he's making me feel something other than pain and loss. I part my lips, but he keeps his kisses slow, almost chaste. His mouth feels so good, so good; he has the most perfect lips ever.

"Fuck," he whispers suddenly, leaning his forehead on my shoulder. "Sorry. Please don't hit me."

I grin a little, turning back over. Sighing, Edward pulls me closer and I close my eyes, trying to concentrate on the feel of his hard, warm body pressed up against mine.

My head is spinning. When he's sweet like this, I can almost forget that he's a manwhore and just remember the person he can be when he's with me. I shouldn't even let him hold me like this, it's too intimate, but… I don't want to move away.

"Relax, Bella," he whispers, his hand moving down to rub my stomach again. Desire courses through me as I remember the very first time he told me to "relax" — and everything that happened afterward. There's a soft smile on my face as I succumb to unconsciousness.

~*~*GN*~*~

When I wake up, I'm startled for a minute before I realize that I'm still in Edward's arms. I can hear his even breaths behind me and I realize he's fallen asleep, too.

Very slowly and carefully I turn over in his arms until we're facing each other. If it's possible, he looks so much younger in his sleep, almost angelic — though I know he's no angel.

I wiggle out one arm from where it's anchored between us, bringing it up to touch his perfect features. I smooth down his eyebrows, then move to tracing his lips. He parts them a little, sighing softly, and I stop, afraid that I've woken him up.

It doesn't appear that I have, but just the little scare has freaked me out, so I decide to stop being a creeper. Instead, I slide my hand around Edward's back, hugging myself closer to him. I tuck my head under his chin, sighing in contentment.

"You didn't have to stop," he mumbles.

Shocked, I lean back to look at his face, at the tiny smirk on his lips. "I thought you were asleep."

"Mmm…" he smiles, looking down at me. The look in his eyes is just… gah. He reaches out, brushing my hair behind my ear before caressing the side of my face again and again.

I lick my lips involuntarily. I want to kiss him. He wants to kiss me, I know he does. But he only watches me.

And finally it sinks in — he's waiting for _me_. If I want to feel Edward's lips again, I'm going to have to make the first move.

And though I know it's a bad idea — I haven't reached the point where I can just forgive and forget, and I don't want something casual with him — I want his comfort. I want to feel the way that only _Edward_ can make me feel.

I lean in slowly, across the few inches that separate us. Edward tilts his head, moving a little closer, but it's like we're both afraid to make that final move.

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><p><strong>AN:** Back to the cliffhangers! Should Bella kiss him? Will he let her?

_Reason For Living_ has 2,695 reviews, and this one has 2,577 as of the time of posting. Can we get it past the mark to become my most-reviewed story?

Next update on **Wednesday**. I'll delay the next one then to Saturday, since we have Thanksgiving in the US on Thursday and then Black Friday!

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><p>Thanks to all who voted for <em>The Fourth Floor<em> in Round 2 in the TwiFic Fandom Awards for Favorite Ficlette (non-expanded one-shot)! Voting is now over, but the results are not going to be announced until December 6.


	26. Closer

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! More softening toward Edward, with the majority wanting them to kiss: 35 out of 63 expressing a preference. There were 15 NO votes and 13 "Switzerland" or conflicted.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

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><p><em>Chapter 26 — Closer<em>

It's like a game of chicken — who will break first?

I stare into Edward's green eyes, so close that I can see the flecks of blue and hazel in them. And I know he's not going to break. But I _need_ him.

Barely shifting, I close the final two-inch distance, taking Edward's pouty bottom lip between my own. I feel him kiss me back with just a little bit of pressure, before he sucks gently on my upper lip. I tangle my hand in his soft hair, scooting closer as we trade soft, tentative kisses. When I feel his tongue licking along my bottom lip, I part my lips, but still he doesn't deepen the kiss.

I lose myself in the feel of Edward's gentle kisses. He makes everything bad, everything I'm feeling today just disappear. We're so close that all I can feel, all I can _smell_, is him. But my body is starting to get antsy for more. I wish he'd just touch me already, but his hands remain motionless where they're wrapped around me. I move closer still and suddenly he pulls away, panting.

"Fuck, baby, you are gonna be the death of me one day."

Edward sits up, then hauls himself up and off the bed, pulling at his hair as he paces.

"Why'd you stop?" I ask, rolling over and sitting up. I try not to feel hurt and rejected.

He shakes his head and lets out a humorless laugh. "You don't really want this right now. I'm not going to take advantage of you when you're vulnerable. Not like I did the first time," he finishes in a mumble.

I exhale heavily, knowing in my heart that he's right, even if I feel like pouting.

"Oh my God," I exclaim, staring as he reaches down to adjust himself in his jeans.

"What?" he shrugs. "That's what kissing a pretty girl does to a guy."

I stare up at him, my mouth hanging open. "You think I'm pretty?" I whisper.

"I've said that before," he replies, brow furrowed.

"Once," I shrug.

"Well, I think you're pretty all the time."

I feel my face flame at his words. Does he truly mean that? "Even now?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood.

He snickers. "Well, your hair does kind of look like a haystack." I glare at him, though I'm sure he's probably right. "So… I'm starving, and Alice said you haven't eaten today."

"Not true," I disagree. "I had a smoothie."

"That doesn't count," he scowls. "I could order a pizza?"

"There's a Giordano's just a couple of blocks north of here, but they don't deliver."

"I could pick it up, since I'm assuming you don't want to get dressed," he grins.

"You assumed correctly." I stand up, stretching a little until I realize that my t-shirt is riding up… and my braless nipples are still pebbled from our kisses. I quickly cross my arms over my chest when I see the way Edward is staring.

"You go ahead and order," I tell him. "I need to use the bathroom."

Afterward, I splash some water on my face then attempt to tame my hair with my fingers. It's no use though; I need my brush, but it's back in the room.

When I come back, Edward is on the phone, so I pick up my brush, trying to tame the tangles in my hair. "Here," he says, holding out his hand once he's done ordering.

My brow furrows in confusion, but I hand him my brush then sit in my desk chair while he combs through my hair. Now _that_ is unexpected. But it's nice… really nice. "Do you have to walk me down?" he asks.

"Yeah… guests aren't allowed to be in the halls without their host."

"You should probably put some pants on first, huh?"

I look down at my bare legs, frowning. "I have pants on." Pajama shorts anyway.

"Don't you have longer pants to sleep in? Chicago can get really cold in the winter."

"I… not really, unless you count my sweatpants. I don't fit in my winter PJs anymore," I reply, a little embarrassed.

"Where are your sweatpants?"

I point toward my dresser. "Top drawer." Edward pulls out a pair, handing them to me, and I quickly stand up so I can slide them on.

"You should get some pajamas that fit."

"It's just not my top priority," I shrug.

"If you need some more money for clothes, just ask, Bella. Maybe we can go shopping together," he suggests.

I can't help it, I burst out laughing. "You're gonna go shopping with me for maternity clothes?"

"Why not?"

"Well, first of all, I thought men hated shopping. But, what if someone recognizes you?"

He sighs, tearing at his hair. "Then they recognize me."

"Edward, what will people think if they see you with a pregnant woman? You can't claim I'm your sister or something. Any fan knows you're an only child."

"So… they'll know I'm having a kid," he shrugs. "It's bound to come out sooner or later."

"But… I'm 26 weeks pregnant, and you were photographed with another woman just last month," I point out, though I really don't want to get into that and spoil today. Just remembering that photo is enough to make me queasy.

"So everyone will find out I'm an asshole, is that what you're saying?"

"I…" I shrug.

"I don't care what people think of me. I used to, back in school, but I don't anymore. I mean, this is me, take it or leave it."

"But maybe _I_ care," I tell him quietly. "Maybe I care if everyone's laughing at me behind my back."

"They won't—" He stops, tearing at his hair again. "When it comes out, I'll do my best to keep your name out if it. I know you don't trust me, but… I'll do whatever I can for you."

He sits down on my bed, sliding his boots back on then grabs his coat. "Ready to go down?"

I nod, heading to the door. Edward follows me downstairs and I remain inside, frowning at the light snow swirling around outside. "Text me when you're on your way back and I'll let you in," I call to him.

I watch him walk away for a few moments before going back up to my room. I try to straighten up a little bit, then decide to put a bra on if I'm going to be sitting here eating with Edward.

Of course, part of me likes him staring at my boobs. The rest of me doesn't want him to think of me as a sex object. Well, as _just_ a sex object.

God, I'm so confused.

I never expected Edward to turn down the chance to… at least make out. That doesn't jive with anything I know of him.

But if he hadn't turned me down, how far would I have gone? Edward is kind of like a Lays potato chip… I can't stop with one kiss. Or two.

I must be losing my freakin' mind to even be considering this.

"Oh Jesus," my hand rushes to my chest as my phone pings, scaring me half to death. I hurry downstairs to let Edward in.

"What's with you?" he asks, narrowing his eyes as he squeezes past me into the building, shaking his head like a dog to get the snowflakes out of his hair. "Your face is all flushed."

I ignore his question, following him up the stairs then unlocking the door for him. He sets the pizza box down on my desk and I notice for the first time that he's also carrying a plastic bag. Shaking my head when he pulls out a bottle of beer, I get a water out of the mini fridge then pull Alice's chair over to my desk.

Edward serves our slices of pizza onto two paper plates, then closes the box. "What toppings did you get?" I ask. It's impossible to tell with the way Chicago pizzerias put the sauce on _top_.

"I got what they call the Special — sausage, mushrooms, green pepper and onion."

"Sounds good," I agree, cutting off a bite.

"So, um… not that I'm bugging you, 'cause I know Emmett said you were busy writing songs this week, but… have you had a chance to look at apartments for me?" I ask as we eat.

"Maybe," he smirks.

"What does _that_ mean?"

"It's under control, Bella." I continue to stare at him until he sighs, setting down his beer. "I've found something I like, and hopefully next week I'll get word that I've got it."

"Do I get a hint?" I ask excitedly.

"Nope." He reaches out and taps me on the nose. I scowl back.

"Do you think I'd be able to move in right after Christmas?"

"Dunno," he shrugs. "I'm sure Mom and Carlisle will let you stay with us for a few weeks if you need to."

"I know, I just… don't want to impose."

Edward shakes his head. "Mom would love to have you. She's always wanted a daughter to dote on. A girl probably wouldn't have been as big of a fuck-up as me."

I open my mouth to argue, but then let it go. "So I went to the Campus Housing Office this week to fill out the paperwork to get out of my contract."

"Huh?"

"Sorry… students have a year-long contract for their dorm rooms. If you cancel early, they normally charge you 75% of the cost for the time remaining as a penalty."

"That's bullshit," he says.

"Yeah… but you can appeal. Hopefully having a baby mid-semester and not being able to stay in my room any longer is sufficient reason for the committee to grant me one."

"It _should_ be. I mean, the baby can't stay in the dorm, right?"

"Right," I nod. "I doubt that Alice or anyone in the rooms around us wants to be woken up by her screaming in the middle of the night."

Edward freezes, staring at me for a moment. "Do they really do that?"

"Do what?"

"Wake up in the middle of the night."

My eyes widen. "Uh, yeah."

"Fuck, I figured that was just a myth to try to convince teenagers not to have kids."

I burst out laughing as if he's just told the funniest joke ever.

"Ok, ok, it's not _that_ funny," he scowls, lightly punching my arm.

"I don't think I'll be getting a lot of sleep in the months after the baby is born."

"Do you honestly think you can stay in school then? Maybe you really should take the semester off, Bella."

"I _have_ to stay. Not just to keep my scholarship, but now I've got health insurance through the school, too. I'll need to renew that next semester so I have coverage for the birth."

"It's too fucking complicated to be an adult sometimes," he complains. I have to smile in agreement.

Once we've finished eating, I see that it's just past 7pm, so I take Edward down to the security desk to sign him in, as we're required to do once the guard comes on duty.

We then bring my laptop over to the bed and find a couple of movies to watch online. I sit leaning against the wall with Edward's arm around me, my head pillowed on his shoulder, and it's just… a really nice evening.

"I should go," Edward whispers after the second movie, "Before the roads get any worse." I'm awfully comfortable in his arms, but I reluctantly move away. "Do you have schoolwork to do tomorrow or can I have you for the day?"

I smile involuntarily at his choice of words. "I'm good, I did my homework last night."

"Cool," he smiles back. "I'll ask my mom where to get maternity clothes and pick you up to go shopping, then… family dinner?"

"Ok," I agree as I stand up, waiting for Edward to put his jacket on.

"Um, thank you for coming to babysit me all day. You didn't have to," I tell him softly.

He smiles gently. "Yeah… I did."

We walk downstairs and I stay inside again, out of the cold. "Be careful driving home."

He smiles, kissing my cheek, and I resist the urge to bring my hand up to my face. It's not like this is the first time he's done that, but somehow it feels… different.

Or maybe I'm losing my mind.

~*~*GN*~*~

"What do you mean _Edward_ is going clothes shopping with you instead of me?" Alice shrieks when I tell her the news the next day, after I get his text that he's on his way. Nothing like waiting until the last minute…

I shrug sheepishly. "He wants to."

"I can't believe you even asked him," she pouts.

"I didn't — he volunteered!" Alice looks at me skeptically. "I swear! He was upset that I didn't have warmer pajamas that fit," I chuckle.

"That's actually kinda cute," she grins, shaking her head. "So where are you going shopping?"

"I don't know, he said he'd ask his mom for suggestions."

"So… what's the deal with you two anyway?" she asks, waggling her eyebrows. "I mean, that's two Saturday dates in a row."

"Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that? These weren't… dates." Were they? What's the definition of a date?

"From what you've described, they seem a lot like dates to me."

"You're the one who called Edward to come over yesterday," I growl. "I didn't invite him."

"But the fact remains, he hung out with you for the rest of the afternoon, went out and picked up dinner for the two of you, then sat around watching movies. That's a date."

"I don't know, Alice," I sigh. "We're getting to know each other, I guess. Spending time together… trying to be friends — for the baby's sake."

"_Just_ for the baby?"

I shrug helplessly. "You know I'm attracted to Edward, and I really like the side he shows to me when we're alone."

"But," she prompts when I don't continue.

"But I won't be one of the many girls he comes to when he wants to get laid. I won't cheapen myself that way. Not again," I add quietly.

"So you'd want to be with him if you didn't have to share."

"I-I think so," I admit for the first time… to myself, too. "But he hasn't said that he's willing to give up other girls, so it's a moot point."

Alice stares at me for a moment. "Hang in there, sweetie. Maybe he'll grow up before his daughter does."

I shake my head, grinning as I hear the ping of my phone. Edward's text says that he's exited the freeway, so I hurriedly run a brush through my hair and spray some perfume.

"Not a date, huh?"

I flip Alice the bird as I walk out of our room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Is Alice right? Were these dates? How are we feeling about Edward now?

So, Bella and Edward are going shopping for maternity clothes together. What could possibly go wrong?

Next update on **Saturday**. Happy Thanksgiving to all the Americans! Hope you all get what you want on Black Friday. I will stay far away from the malls that day.

To the Guest who wanted to know what Black Friday is: The day after Thanksgiving is the "official" start to the Christmas shopping season. Stores open very early Friday morning (or now, Thursday evening) and offer blockbuster sales, especially on electronics, to get shoppers in the door.


	27. Shopping

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! Most of you are seeing growth in Edward, and are expecting some sort of run-in with the paparazzi or fans on their shopping trip.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 27 — Shopping<em>

I pull my coat tighter around myself as I step outside. Edward wasn't kidding about how cold Chicago can get in the winter, and it's only mid-November!

I stand at the curb waiting for two or three minutes before I see the Porsche coming down the street. I can't help the smile on my face as he pulls over and I open the door.

"Hey," I greet Edward with a smile.

"Hey," he smiles back, that panty-dropping smile I love so much. I also note that he doesn't seem to have shaved today. Immediately I'm reminded of the scruff he had the night I met him.

"So the place Mom suggested is on the way to Evanston. There are a couple stores in the River Point Shopping Center. Here," he says, handing me a piece of paper.

I read over Esme's notes, with her suggestion to visit the Motherhood Maternity store for long-sleeved tops or light sweaters, along with warmer pajamas. Then she suggested taking advantage of the open cardigan style that's currently popular and stopping at the Marshall's in the same shopping center to buy those, which I could continue to wear when I'm no longer pregnant.

"Sound ok?" Edward asks.

"Sure, yeah. I have a couple of maternity tops; I don't know if I need more, though." In fact, today I'm wearing the blue sweater that I'd bought with Alice.

"Um… Mom said you'd get mad if I told you this, but… she said that hoodie you wore last time you were over? It won't fit you by January."

I bristle a little. "Sure it will… I just won't be able to zip it."

Edward laughs and I find myself laughing along with him. Maybe Esme has a point.

We park the car at the shopping center and Edward puts a baseball cap on his head, turned backward. "I'll try to stay incognito," he says with a shrug.

As we get out of the car, I notice a few stares from other shoppers, but I think they're just looking at the $100,000 Porsche, not Edward.

He takes my hand as we walk across the slick parking lot, looking at me tentatively as if to check that it's all right for him to do that. I give him a small smile, letting him know it's fine.

When we walk into the store, I watch Edward carefully as he takes everything in. "We should go back to the sale racks," I suggest, tugging on his hand.

"What? Why?" He gives me a blank stare. "I can afford the full price."

"Edward…"

"You don't have to buy stuff on sale, Bella," he says, trailing his finger down my face.

"But—"

Edward holds two fingers over my lips. "Let me take care of you," he whispers. The look in his eyes is so sincere… how can I say no?

When I nod, he removes his fingers, pulling me over to the closest display. He lets go of my hand and we each start looking on opposite sides of the circular rack of tops.

"Um… please don't get mad at me for asking, but… what size? Small?"

"Yeah, Small."

"This one's cool," he says, holding up a gray v-neck sweater with long sleeves. "I like the zippers on the bottom, so if you get too fat, you can just unzip it a little."

I glare at him, but he doesn't seem to get it. "You don't call pregnant women _fat_, Edward."

At least he has the decency to look sheepish.

"You have to get this one," he announces a minute later, pulling out a green henley-style sweater to show me. "It looks like what you were wearing the night we met."

My mouth drops open in shock. "You remember that?" I ask quietly.

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" I continue to stare, dumbfounded, until he adds, "I remember taking it off of you."

I shake my head, feeling my face turning red.

"This is fun — you go find your pajamas. Oh, and jeans. It's too cold to wear those legging things all winter."

"Ok, Edward," I chuckle, walking away.

Since he's not around to stop me, I find two pajama sets _on sale_, then pick out some light wash denim skinny jeans with small holes in the legs as well as a darker wash bootcut pair. They both totally look like anything a normal girl my age would be wearing — not maternity jeans.

I head to the dressing room to try them on and both pairs fit perfectly. Edward is carrying a stack of sweaters when he finds me, just as I step out of the room.

"Edward, I don't need that many!"

"I just got you enough for a week," he shrugs.

"But I have clothes already," I reply. He pouts and I roll my eyes. "Let me see them."

One at a time, he shows me what he's picked out, and I have to admit that I like everything. Much more stylish than my formerly oversized hoodies.

Edward offers to carry all of the stuff we've picked out while I walk over to the Lingerie section. My bra is getting tight again, damnit. I decide to get a style that also works as a nursing bra; since it comes in small, medium or large, I don't need to know an exact cup size.

"These are hot," Edward whistles suddenly.

I spin around, frowning at where he's looking at a table full of panties. "I don't need those… my own underwear still fits."

He sets down the stack of clothes then holds up a pair of hot pink lace bikinis for me. "But they're really sexy! You should get them," he declares, nodding.

"Planning to get a look at them on me anytime soon?" I blurt out before I can stop myself.

He just shrugs, winking at me, as he pulls several different colors of the same style and hands them to me.

Sighing, I carry the three bras and stack of panties up to the register. It's only after Edward places the rest of the clothes on the counter that I start to get nervous. He's probably going to pay with a credit card. The cashier looks to be in her 40's, older than their usual fan base, but I hope she doesn't have children who listen to The New Moons.

"Aren't you the cutest couple?" she smiles as she starts ringing up the purchases. I feel my blush coming on again, while Edward just reaches over and squeezes my hand. "When are you due?"

"Three more months," I answer.

I hold my breath as Edward hands her his card, but she just slides it through the reader, then shows him where to sign on the electronic keypad. She doesn't change expression, so I think we've dodged the bullet.

Edward offers to take the bags out to the car, saying he'll meet me in Marshall's. As I walk over there, I'm grateful for Esme choosing a discount store like this. I don't want Edward to spend any more money than he has to. I doubt the doctor's wife shops at a place like this _now_, but she probably did before she met her husband.

I start looking through the racks of sweaters, and Edward joins me after just a couple of minutes. "So what are we buying here?" he asks, looking around.

"Sweaters that are open in the front, like this," I hold up one as an example. "Just make sure there's enough material to go around my stomach." He gets this look on his face, and so help me… "Do _not_ say whatever you are thinking right now."

Laughing, he walks over to the next rack.

I pull out a couple of sweaters I like that should go with the tops we've already bought, then Edward taps me on the shoulder to show me what he's found. I throw back a couple of Edward's choices that don't match anything I already own.

I start to walk up to the checkout counter, but Edward stops me. "You need boots; you can't walk through snow in your Chucks."

We find the shoe department and I try on a few pairs before deciding on a pair of black flats that come up a few inches above my ankle. Edward gives them a thumbs up and we head to the counter. Again I hold my breath when he hands over his credit card, and again the middle-aged cashier seems to be oblivious.

Snow flurries are falling again as we walk back out to the car. Edward removes his hat as soon as he sits down, then runs his hand through his hair. "Sometimes I'm glad you're not more famous," I remark.

He smiles. "Like I said, Seth is the face of the band, not me."

"But you're the heart and soul of the band." He gives me a small smile, seeming to be almost embarrassed.

Edward tosses me his phone before backing out. "Will you text Mom for me and tell her we're on the way?"

"Your mom _texts_?"

He laughs. "She knows how to read text messages, but not actually reply," he answers with a wink.

"So when do we need to start buying stuff for the baby?" Edward asks as he enters the freeway.

I shrug. "Alice says she's going to throw me a baby shower right after the new semester starts and everyone from school is back in Chicago. I guess maybe I should register somewhere before finals?"

"_We_, Bella. I'll go with you, though I'm pretty much clueless on what you need for a baby."

"Don't look at me," I chuckle. "Hopefully your mom will be able to help. Though I imagine things have changed in 22 years."

"I think Mom would really like to help, or be involved in any way you're comfortable with."

"She's been really good about this."

"Of course she has — she's getting a granddaughter." I try to give him a small smile, still thinking of what my own mom is missing out on. And hoping that my dad feels the same way as Esme.

"Thank you for today, Edward," I tell him quietly.

"You don't have to thank me… I'm not gonna let my baby mama go naked or freeze to death."

I _think_ he's joking but still, the words are a slap in the face to me. Am I just his "baby mama"? I stare down at my hands in my lap, trying not to let it upset me. It was a joke, I tell myself. Just a joke.

I'm sure Edward notices my silence, but he doesn't comment on it. Or on anything. We finish the drive in silence until we pull into the Cullens' garage.

Edward stops me before we walk into the house. "Are you ok?" he asks, cocking his head a little.

"I'm fine."

He looks at me like he doesn't believe me, then pulls me into his arms, hugging me as tightly as my stomach will allow. He runs one hand through my hair again and again, finally pulling back a little so that he can kiss my cheek.

Taking my hand tightly in his, he opens the door into the house, pulling me along with him.

"Hi, you two," Esme calls. "Have any luck shopping?" I notice her gaze drawn to our joined hands.

"Yeah, we got lots of stuff," Edward answers. "What are we having for dinner?"

"Grilled salmon and a vegetable risotto. I hope that's ok, Bella?"

"Yeah, that's fine. With all of the fishing my dad does, I had to learn to like fish or else starve."

"It should be ready in about five minutes, if you want to set the table?"

"I'll do it," Edward says. "You go sit down." He removes his leather jacket and I'm struck dumb by the first good look I've gotten at the form fitting blue sweater he's wearing underneath. There are a handful of buttons at the top that he's left open, giving me a tantalizing glimpse of his chest. I swallow thickly, making my way to the family room, where the rest of the family is watching an NFL game.

"Hey, Bella-Boo," Emmett calls with a huge grin. "How did your test go on Friday?"

"Pretty good, I think. Thanks so much for your help. There's a reason I'm studying English," I add with an eye roll.

"What kind of career are you interested in, Bella?" Rose asks.

"Public relations or journalism, I'm not sure yet. I'm planning to get at least a minor in Communications. Did, um, did you go to college?"

"I went for two years," she replies. "I was studying Nursing, but then I was 'discovered'," she says, complete with air quotes. I smile a little, still amazed to have Rosalie being _nice_ to me.

Edward comes into the room a few minutes later to announce that dinner is ready. He walks up to me, holding his hands out so that he can help me up. "I can do this by myself, you know," I complain as he pulls me to my feet. He just grins, tugging me toward the kitchen.

Once again, I'm happy to just be part of the conversation over dinner and not the subject. I do keep noticing Esme glancing toward Edward and me though.

After dinner, he convinces me to go upstairs to listen to some of the songs he's been writing.

"Ok," he begins once I'm seated in his desk chair, "Just listen to the melodies and tell me which ones strike you."

"Are you going to sing for me?"

He shakes his head. "The words aren't important right now. I need to know which melodies you like and those are the ones for which we'll try to record demos."

Edward plays different songs for me over the next two hours, stopping after each one to discuss what I like or don't like about it. It's so hard to choose! He won't accept my comment that I love them all though.

After the last one, Edward turns his chair to face me, taking my hands in his. "What upset you earlier?" he asks quietly. "What did I do?"

I think about playing dumb, but I hated it when Edward played dumb with me. I stare down at my feet and he drops one of my hands so that he can lift my chin, forcing me to look him in the eye. "Tell me," he whispers.

I feel stupid for getting so upset about what was probably just a joke. I don't want to tell him, but his eyes are pleading.

"You called me your 'baby mama'," I whisper.

"What?" His brow is furrowed in confusion.

"You said you didn't want your baby mama to freeze to death. Is that… is that all I am to you?" I ask in a small voice.

Edward's mouth opens and closes a few times as he stares at me. "I'm not sure what to call you? I mean, you're not really my girlfriend, but… you're not just…" He trails off, shaking his head. "I'd still want you in my life, even if you weren't having my baby. I hope you know that." He brushes my hair back in a gesture so tender, I start to tear up.

"If I insulted you, Bella, I didn't mean to. I swear."

Suddenly he stands, pulling me to my feet along with him. He gathers me in his arms and I rest my head against his strong chest. He squeezes me for a moment, then moves back a little. I look up into his eyes and he smiles at me. "Ok?"

"Ok," I whisper. "Sorry I'm overly sensitive."

"No comment," he replies with a wink, towing me toward the door. Downstairs, we say goodbye to the others, then walk out to the garage.

"Did, um… do you know if Emmett said something to Rose?" I ask as we fly down the interstate. "I mean, she's been so much nicer to me recently."

"He might have, not sure," he shrugs.

"Are you and Emmett… ok?" I ask hesitantly. I _really_ don't want to get into the reasons why they were fighting.

Edward sighs, then nods. "I don't think Emmett can hold a grudge for long. He wasn't happy with me and he let me know about it. It's over and done with now."

"Good." I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Do you think you can carry the bags in by yourself?" Edward asks as we near my dorm.

"Yeah, I can handle it. I don't want you to have to go to the trouble of parking just to help me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm pregnant, not an invalid," I reply, rolling my eyes.

Edward pulls over to the curb, putting his hazard lights on while he gets out to grab the bags from the trunk for me. I take them from him, assuring him once more that I am perfectly capable of carrying them to my room.

"Can I call you?" he asks tentatively.

"I'd like that."

"Ok." He exhales, giving me a small smile, then leans in to kiss my cheek.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So, no paps or fans recognizing Edward, though he did put his foot in his mouth… twice!

Was Bella right to get upset about being called his 'baby mama' or just overly sensitive?

There's a small time jump to the next chapter.

Next update on **Tuesday**.

Hope all the Americans had a good holiday, and the rest of you didn't work too hard!


	28. Thanksgiving

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! So I got the full range of responses as usual: some readers feel 'baby mama' can be a term of endearment and Bella shouldn't be upset, some excuse her for being upset because she's pregnant and hormonal, and some feel that absolutely she should be upset and they would be too in her position.

**There is a time jump from the prior chapter of 11 days, from November 16 to November 27.**

Thanks to 2old4fanfic and Payton79 for rec'ing this fic! Go check out their stories. :)

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 28 — Thanksgiving<em>

I'm completely stuffed — not to mention exhausted — as I leave the table on Thanksgiving Day, making my way to the family room, where Emmett and Dr. Cullen have already turned the football game back on.

I sit heavily on one end of the loveseat, leaning against the back cushion. I was too young when my mom died for her to have taught me how to stuff and cook a turkey, so I've never been the one to cook on previous holidays. Dad and I always ended up going to one of his buddies' homes instead. Of course, Esme did most of the hard work today, while I helped with the side dishes and tried to learn something.

I look up when Edward and Rose walk into the room, after helping clear the table. He's wearing a Chicago Bears jersey, since they played in the earlier game this afternoon, though he threatened to take it off when they lost. He sits down next to me, then surprises me by turning so that he can lie down, his head pillowed in what's left of my lap. Of course his long legs hang off the end of the short loveseat.

"Comfy?" I ask sarcastically.

"Very," he replies with a wide grin. The current football game goes to a commercial and he turns slightly to face my stomach, caressing it with his hand. "I want to say hi to my daughter."

When the game comes back on, he rolls back over so that he can watch it, leaving his head in my lap. At some point, I mindlessly reach out, scratching my fingers through his soft hair. He sighs, a gentle smile on his face.

A month ago, if someone had said we'd be here like this, I would've said they were nuts. But since the anniversary of my mom's death, Edward and I have seen each other every few days. He's always so considerate now, calling first to make sure I don't have work to do for school, before heading to campus.

Usually we just stay in, going to the Student Center first for dinner and then to the bowling alley or the arcade — I continue to veto the billiards hall after my birthday experience. When Alice is out, we'll sit in the room and watch movies on my laptop. He did take me out once, to one of the several Greek restaurants in the few blocks north of the highway.

We talk about anything and everything — our lives growing up, our hopes and dreams. I feel like I'm finally getting to know the real Edward, and I really like what I've learned.

We haven't kissed again. I mean, not on the lips. Edward still kisses my cheek every time he says goodbye to me. He looks at me so intensely sometimes that it takes me straight back to the night we met. We've never given what we're doing a _name_, but I feel like maybe Alice is right and we _are_ dating. We're doing things in the correct order this time instead of jumping into bed.

I can't deny that part of me would like to move our relationship forward, at least a little, but another part of me is afraid that Edward may still be seeing other girls — it's not like he's with me _every_ night. I'm too afraid of the answer to actually _ask_ him. Most of me recognizes that this slow pace is the best thing for both of us. I have never been in a relationship, and I don't think he has either. We're both clueless.

Edward yawns as he stretches and my eyes are drawn to the sliver of pale skin revealed as his jersey rides up. I have to hold my hand back to keep from reaching out to touch it. He smirks at me when he sees where my eyes are trained.

"When can we have pie, Esme?" Emmett asks suddenly, rubbing his belly.

"Is everyone ready?" she asks. After a chorus of yeses she stands up.

"I'll help, Esme. Move, Edward," I tell him when he doesn't budge, shoving at his arm.

"Ow!" he yells, rubbing his forearm as he sits up.

"Oh, I didn't hit you that hard." I roll my eyes at his overacting, heaving myself off the couch.

"Hard enough! My arm was already sore," he pouts.

"Why is it sore?" I glare preemptively at Emmett, who holds his hands up to proclaim his innocence.

"You hit right on my new tattoo," he shrugs.

That stops me short. "I didn't know you got a new tattoo."

"Where'd you think I was yesterday?" he asks with a wink.

I shake my head, unable to resist a small smile. "Will you show me when I come back?"

"Mayyybe," he teases.

Rolling my eyes, I follow Esme into the kitchen, grabbing the plates and forks for her as she starts cutting slices in the homemade pumpkin pie. I bring the first two pieces to Emmett and Rose where they're cuddled up in the recliner, then head back to the kitchen for two more.

I hand Edward a plate then sit down beside him to eat my own piece. As always, it's delicious; Esme is an awesome baker. Rose offers to collect the plates when we're done eating, then I turn to Edward.

"Now can I see the new tattoo?"

"When do I get to see everything we bought shopping?" I feel my face turn red at the implication; he's seen me in most of the items already. He barely noticed the pajamas and bras that I bought, so I know he's referring to the sexy lace panties.

Edward obviously sees my embarrassment and takes pity on me. I watch eagerly as he pushes up the sleeve on his left arm, revealing a staff with musical notes wrapped around his forearm in a spiral.

"It's not quite done yet," he says as I reach my hand out to touch the still-reddened skin. "The notes still need to be colored in. It took hours just for this."

"What song is it?" I ask, turning his arm back and forth as I try to follow the melody.

"You tell me; sing the notes in your head."

"I don't know, Edward! I can barely read music. It's been a long time since I played the viola in school."

He giggles, then smiles at me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Emmett stand up and cross the room to us. He grabs Edward by the wrist then begins humming as he follows along the notes.

I immediately recognize the song as "our" song from Millennium Park — though Edward has never given it a title, as far as I know. Tears spring to my eyes, touched that he would memorialize this… apology on his arm forever.

"For everything," Edward whispers when Emmett finishes. He gazes at me so intensely that I'd totally jump him if it weren't for the other four people in the room.

I risk a glance at Edward's parents, and they look a little confused. I wonder if they've ever heard the song, or if they have, are able to decipher the poetic lyrics enough to know what it means.

Emmett goes to sit back down and Edward takes advantage, resuming his former position with his head in my lap. And I let him.

"You're far too big to do that," his mother chastises him.

"Don't care," he dismisses.

At the next commercial break, he turns to face me and begins whispering to my stomach. I only catch every fourth word or so, but the smile that takes over my face as he talks to his daughter must be blinding.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Esme gasps. She stands up, moving into the kitchen. When she returns, she hands me a bag from a bookstore. I set it on the cushion beside me and pull out the first book, smiling when I see it — _What to Expect When You're Expecting_.

"I know it's a little late," she apologizes. "It was only last weekend when you were asking about registering that I realized you didn't already have anything like this. I also got you the follow-up that discusses baby's first year."

"I've never even heard of this book before," I shrug. "But thank you, so much. I'm getting to the stage where it's starting to get scary — so many things can go wrong."

"You can't think like that, Bella, dear. The vast majority of pregnancies have no complications at all."

Edward finally sits up, looking at the cover of the book. He takes my hand, squeezing it lightly. "Everything's gonna be fine, baby. Don't be scared."

My mind is stuck for a moment on the fact that he called me "baby." It's not the first time, but…

"Bella," Esme begins tentatively, "Do you know if your mother had any complications when she was pregnant with you?"

"No, I have no idea," I shrug.

"Your father has never mentioned…?" She trails off, shaking her head. "Your father still doesn't know you're pregnant, does he?" she says, gently.

"No," I whisper. "I… I'll be going home for Christmas after finals; I'll tell him then."

"You're planning to fly to Washington?" she asks in shock. "Your doctor is all right with that?"

"She said if everything looks good at my next appointment on Monday, then she'll let me go, but I have to come back to Chicago right after the holiday."

"Why would she not let you go?" Edward asks.

"It's not safe for women to fly too close to their due date," his mother explains. "You don't want to risk going into labor on the plane, or when you're away from your regular doctor. I think it's pretty much universal that women shouldn't fly after 36 weeks."

"I'll be 30 weeks when finals are over, which is why she wants me to come back two weeks later."

Edward frowns as he looks at me, seeming to be deep in concentration. "I'm taking you to your appointment, right?"

"Well… sure, unless you don't want to."

"I want to." He suddenly slides down toward the other end of the loveseat a little bit. "Turn and put your feet up," he orders.

Confused, I do as he says. Once he's got my legs in his lap, he pulls off my Chucks, then begins rubbing and massaging my feet. I look at him questioningly and he shrugs. "I should be taking care of you," he mumbles. I eye him curiously, but let him do what he wants.

I have to admit — he's good at this.

Edward doesn't want to leave to take me back to my dorm during the third football game of the day, so I remain in my place on the couch for hours, letting him rub my feet. By the time the game is over, it's getting pretty late, so I accept Emmett's offer to give me a ride downtown with him and Rose, saving Edward from making the round trip.

Of course, Edward still wants to walk me out to the garage. "Can I come by this weekend?" he asks quietly.

I look up at him, really wanting to say yes, but… "I have a huge paper due for my Psychology class. It's worth 40 percent of my grade, so… Call me first and I'll see if I have time?"

"Ok," he nods. "At least I can take you to get a bite to eat or something."

"My doctor's appointment is at three o'clock on Monday," I remind him, in case I'm too busy to see him this weekend. "And remember it'll take at least an hour since I have to do this glucose thing."

"I'll be there," he assures me. He leans in as if to kiss me, swerving at the last second to get my cheek instead, less than an inch from my lips. He squeezes my hand lightly, then lets me go.

I climb into the back seat of Rose's shiny red BMW, which she explains they drove today so that they'd be able to give me a ride if needed. As she drives, Emmett goes on and on about how much he's looking forward to Black Friday shopping for electronics tomorrow — as if he needs to buy things on sale. I think it's like a game to him.

"So, what's up with you and my brother?" Emmett asks when we're about halfway there, turning around and waggling his eyebrows.

"We're… trying to be friends," I hedge.

"Uh-huh, you definitely seemed friendly. And comfortable with each other."

I'm really glad it's dark so that Emmett can't see the blush I know is on my face. I know that "just friends" don't normally act the way that Edward was acting tonight, but he's never said that he wants to be more — even if it _feels_ like we're dating. I just really don't want to get crushed again if _he_ doesn't think so.

~*~*GN*~*~

I end up spending the entire weekend writing my paper, just wanting it to be perfect. I'm not naïve enough to think my grades won't suffer at least a little bit next semester. I need to keep my GPA up to keep my scholarship, so I really want to get all A's _this_ semester and give myself a bit of a cushion.

Edward texts that he's exiting the interstate around 2:45 on Monday afternoon, so I hurry downstairs and outside to meet him.

"Hey." He leans over to kiss my cheek in greeting when I sit awkwardly in the Porsche. I have no idea how I'm going to get into this car by the time I'm nine-months pregnant.

"So what is this special test you have to do?" Edward asks.

"From what I read in the book your mom gave me, I have to drink something super sweet and then an hour later get some blood drawn to see how my body processes the sugar."

"Sounds like fun."

"I just hope it tastes good. I mean, who wants to swallow something nasty?" Edward chokes a little and I look over at him, my brow furrowing when I can't figure out what's wrong with him.

After we've arrived at the doctor's office, I give the receptionist my name and she tells me to wait there for a nurse. When the nurse shows up, she explains that I can have cola, orange or lime flavor for the sugar solution that I need to drink. I choose cola since I'm totally missing my Coke, and she gets it out of the fridge for me.

"Ok, Isabella, you need to drink it all within five minutes. I'll come get you in 10 or 15 minutes to see Dr. Gerandy."

I carry the glass back to where Edward sits in the waiting area. "I need to drink this within five minutes, so tell me when it's been four."

He looks at something on his phone, then nods at me. "Bottoms up!" he grins.

I take a small sip to check the taste, and holy shit, it tastes like really sugary, flat soda. "Yuck," I exclaim, making a face. I bring the glass to my mouth again, sipping slowly at it while Edward watches me with an amused look on his face.

"Come on, Bella," he encourages. "You've got at least a third to go and only a minute left." I glare over at him. He seems to be enjoying this a bit too much.

"Drink it like a shot," he suggests.

"I've never done shots." I tilt my head and just go for it, drinking it all before Edward says time is up.

When I'm done, I let out a breath. The book said that some women feel nauseated after drinking the solution, so I try to just sit quietly and let it settle in my stomach.

"Good job," Edward smiles, reaching over to put his arm around my shoulders.

"How did you do?" the nurse asks as she walks out to get me a few minutes later.

"I made sure she drank it in less than five minutes," Edward says proudly as he stands up. The nurse takes my empty glass and Edward helps me up.

We follow the nurse back toward the examining rooms and I know the routine, stopping off to step on the scale on my way back.

"Holy shit!" Edward yells.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Oh, Edward… will he ever get a filter? How many of you have dirty minds and know what Edward was choking over? ;)

What do you think of Edward's new tattoo and his recent behavior? Or Bella being too chicken shit to ask him about other girls?

Let's see how fast we can hit 3,000 reviews! There are 2,903 at the time of posting.

Next update on **Friday**. Coming up then, something many of you have been calling for!


	29. Questions

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! We easily broke 3,000 reviews!

It looks like Edward may have to hide from an angry mob!

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 29 — Questions<em>

I step down from the scale, opening my eyes as I turn to glare at Edward. He looks down at me innocently. "You've gained a lot of weight," he says with a shrug.

"I am growing a human inside me!" I growl.

"But the baby doesn't weigh that much," he insists, brow furrowed.

"There's also the weight of the placenta, the amniotic fluid, the extra blood in her body and things like that," the nurse explains. "Isabella is well within the normal range."

At least he has the decency to look contrite.

The nurse shows us back to a room where I sit on the examining table as she takes all of my vitals. "Looking good," she says with a smile, handing me a cup.

I head across the hall to the bathroom then return to Edward, who's waiting for me by the table. "No ultrasound this time, you said?" he asks as I slide back up onto it.

"No, I think we just listen to the heartbeat from now on, unless there seems to be a problem."

"I want to see what she looks like now," he pouts quietly.

"Hopefully just like you," I blurt out. I mean, he's beautiful. He stares at me, eyes burning into mine, until we're interrupted by the doctor's arrival.

"Good afternoon, Bella," she greets me with a smile. "Oh, and welcome back, Edward."

"Thanks," he mumbles.

We discuss how I've been feeling over the last four weeks, then she takes out the fetal Doppler, holding it to my bare abdomen. Edward watches fascinated as the sound of the baby's heartbeat fills the room.

Next, the doctor lifts my shirt higher and pushes my jeans down a little bit so that she can measure the size of my stomach. Just for Edward, I wore the hot pink panties today, in case they peek out. From the way he licks his lips as he stares at me — they do.

"Right on target," Dr. Gerandy smiles as she holds the measuring tape to my skin.

"What's on target?" Edward asks curiously.

"Oh, the distance between the pubic bone and the top of the uterus as measured in centimeters should roughly correspond with the number of weeks pregnant. Bella has just crossed 28 weeks and is at about 28 and a half centimeters — perfect."

The doctor feels my abdomen then checks my hands and feet for swelling. "You're doing great, Bella," she says. "No swelling at all."

"So can I fly to Washington in two weeks?"

"As long as your urine and blood tests come back normal, then yes, you can go ahead and book a flight. Try to get an aisle seat so you can get up and walk around, and a seat over the wing would be the smoothest ride."

"What about in First Class?" Edward asks.

"I can't afford a First Class ticket!" I exclaim, gaping at him.

"I can," he shrugs.

I notice my doctor eyeing him curiously before she speaks. "You'll have more room in First Class, but the ride may not be as smooth there. Up to you. When do you think you'll leave?"

"Probably Saturday the 13th? My finals are over on Friday and the dorm closes the next day."

"Hmmm… now that you're entering your third trimester, I need to start seeing you every two weeks. I don't want to wait a month to see you. Do you think you could come in Friday after your finals? Then we can schedule your next visit for the week after Christmas."

"All right, that should work."

"Good," she smiles. "Next time I'll schedule you for a Tdap vaccine, which is a whooping cough booster shot. I'll also get together a list of pediatricians in the area for you to look over."

"Ok," I nod.

"And your homework… you really need to pay attention to how much your baby is moving. If the movement seems to decrease, you need to call me."

I nod again, starting to feel a little bit overwhelmed.

"Do you have any questions, Bella? Or you, Edward?" she asks, turning to him.

"Is it really safe for her to travel?" he asks. "I mean, what about going through the x-ray machines at security?"

"Yes, it's perfectly fine for her to travel at this point. She shouldn't have any issues with the x-ray scanners at the airport."

The doctor turns to me. "If your test results look good, I'll have a note ready for you next time with your due date so that no one gives you any trouble. And once you're on the plane, fasten your seatbelt under your belly. You should try to stretch your legs and feet every 30 minutes and get up to walk around at least once an hour to prevent blood clots. Also, drink a lot of water. I have a paper with these tips and more that I can give you next time, all right?"

"Sounds good," I reply with a small smile, again feeling overwhelmed.

"You still have about 25 minutes to wait before you need to go downstairs for your blood test, so go and schedule your next appointment, then make yourselves comfortable for a little while."

We walk out to the receptionist together, where Edward pays the co-pay and I make a 4pm appointment for the last day of finals. I plop down on a chair in the waiting area, watching Edward curiously as he paces back and forth a few times before stopping in front of me.

"I'm coming to Forks with you."

My eyebrows must shoot all the way up my hairline. "What?"

"I don't… it's too dangerous for you to fly alone. I'm coming with you." He sits down beside me, exhaling heavily. "And I need to… be a man and help you tell your father," he adds quietly.

"Edward…"

"You're not talking me out of this, so don't even try."

"You're not seriously planning to spend Christmas in Bumfuck, Washington, are you? And miss enjoying the holidays with your family?"

He looks over at me, opening and closing his mouth a few times. "Is there a hospital in Forks?" he finally asks.

"Yes, of course there is. It's small, but…"

"So… maybe I can just stay a few days, then fly back home? Then I'll come back to get you after Christmas."

I shake my head. "It's a four-hour flight, Edward. You don't have to do that."

"I'm not letting you travel alone, Bella," he insists. "_Please_, let me do this. Let me show you that I can take care of you," he begs, taking both of my hands in his.

I sigh, watching him carefully. I never have been able to resist him when he asks for something. "If it means that much to you…"

He grins widely, once he realizes he's won.

"You're really willing to face my father?" I ask skeptically. "I mean, you can come with me to Forks and then let me talk to him by myself."

"He doesn't actually keep guns in the house, does he?"

"Um, yeah, he does."

He gulps, looking a little bit green. "Whatever I have to do," he whispers.

When the hour is up, we go downstairs and Edward holds my hand while the nurse takes a vial of blood. "Your doctor will call you with the test results in a few days," she says.

"What are the chances of a problem?" Edward asks before I have the chance.

"The blood sugar reading is too high about 20 percent of the time," she explains. "If that happens, you'll have to come back and take a three-hour glucose tolerance test to verify if you have gestational diabetes. The good news is that this screening test has a lot of false positives, so even if it is too high, there's still a good chance that you're fine. But if there is a problem, we need to know as soon as possible so that you can be monitored."

I must look a little dazed, because she smiles, continuing, "You're in a very low risk group, so I don't anticipate any problems."

"What do you feel like for dinner?" Edward asks, holding my hand as we walk out of the medical office.

"Your daughter wants a cheeseburger."

Edward laughs. "My daughter, huh? There's a Five Guys not too far from here, over on Wabash. It's not too long of a walk, if you're up for it?"

I nod in agreement. "I need to exercise anyway since apparently I've gained a lot of weight."

I shove his arm when he laughs hysterically.

~*~*GN*~*~

My doctor calls on Thursday to tell me that the glucose screening test results were normal, so I let Edward know that he can purchase our plane tickets to Seattle. I've reluctantly agreed to let him pay for them, though my own trip home was obviously a planned expense for me.

We celebrate that night by trying Lou Malnati's pizza in the South Loop, then actually go out to see a movie.

On Friday, Esme meets Edward and me for dinner and then a visit to Babies 'R Us to register for baby things, since Alice still insists on throwing me a shower. Given the fact that nearly everyone I know is a college student, I doubt they'll have the money for the more expensive gifts, but Esme says I should register for everything I'd like anyway.

Edward whispers to me that he thinks his mom and Carlisle are planning to furnish the nursery as a Christmas gift for both of us. Even though I was trying to choose reasonably priced items, I still feel bad about how much they'd have to spend to get _everything_, though I know they can afford it.

The only time Edward and I argue about anything is while picking out the bedding. I'm happy with the pink and green bedding set that we find, while he pouts that there is nothing with a musical theme.

Now that that's taken care of, I really have to dig in and get serious about studying for finals.

~*~*GN*~*~

By mid-afternoon on Sunday, I'm ready to scream — mostly due to Calculus. I text Emmett, who agrees to work with me Tuesday evening before my test the following day. The guys are busy in the studio this week, recording demos of nearly two dozen songs that Edward's written, trying to choose the best ones to flesh out for their new album.

Sighing, I move to my bed to lie down, just for a few minutes.

"Come on, Bella," Alice encourages. "Didn't you say how important it was to get straight A's?"

"I just need a short break," I reply with a yawn.

Sometime later, I'm awoken by a whisper of breath in my ear. Half conscious, I bring my hand up to swat at whatever it is, but it's caught by another hand.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty," Edward's voice says. I blink my eyes open to find him kneeling by my bed, smiling at me.

"Aren't you supposed to be at your parents' for dinner?"

He shrugs. "Alice said you needed me." I glare at Alice where she stands across the room.

"You're only going to distract me from studying," I whine.

He shrugs. "Not quite true. First I'm going to feed you, then I'm going to help you study."

I sniff as I sit up, smelling something good. "You brought food."

"I did," he smiles. "I brought a house salad and a family platter of the chicken carbonara rigatoni from Giordano's for the three of us to split. Come on," he says, pulling me up off the bed. Of course, with only two chairs, Edward ends up sitting cross-legged on the floor as he eats.

"So how exactly are you going to help me study if you've never attended college and taken these classes yourself?" I ask as I stab a rigatoni with my fork.

"Simple — I'll read your notes and quiz you."

When we've finished eating, Alice offers to study in the library so Edward and I can be alone. I feel bad for kicking her out, but she assures me that it's fine.

"Ok, my Biology final is first, on Tuesday, so here are my notes." I hand Edward my laptop and he scans the page, his frown growing by the second.

"I have no idea what any of this shit means." He shakes his head. "Why are you taking this if you want to study English, anyway?"

"We need to take core courses in a variety of subjects. That's the only reason I'm taking Calculus, too — trust me."

For the next several hours, Edward asks me various questions from my notes. I'm doing pretty well with answering them, but I'm still nervous about this test. Finally, he sets my laptop down, staring over at me.

"What?" I ask, a little uncomfortable under his gaze.

"You're so much smarter than me." He shakes his head, a frown on his face.

"And you're a much better musician than I'll ever be," I retort.

"I think your talent is more useful," he says ruefully.

"What are you talking about? Thanks to your talent, you're making more money than I'll ever see in my lifetime!" He's being totally ridiculous right now.

"Can we agree that it'll be a good thing if our daughter has _your_ brains?"

"Is _that_ what this is about? You're worried about our daughter?"

"No," he replies softly. "I mean, I am, but…"

"But what?" I ask, my brow furrowed.

"Do you remember when we met, you asked 'why me'? Why did I ask _you_ to go around the park with me?"

"I remember."

"So let me reverse it… why _me_? Why did you accept? Why did you… let me do everything I did on our tour bus?"

I stare back at Edward as I try to think about how to answer his question. I know why, but I'm embarrassed to tell him. I've never wanted him to think of me as some obsessed fan, even though I kind of was. That may be how our relationship started, but I know Edward now. I hardly think of him as a 'rock star' anymore. He's just Edward.

"I'd had the biggest crush on you for the past year," I admit. "You're gorgeous, of course, but it was so much more than that. Something in your lyrics, they just… touch my heart. I'm the one studying English, but you're such a poet."

He scoffs and I shake my head. "Don't. Don't put yourself down. You've got such talent. Every single thing about you draws me in, Edward. When you asked me to go around the park with you, I couldn't believe it. I'd never been noticed by the boys in school, and now the boy I'd been dreaming about wanted to spend time with _me_. And then you gave me my first kiss—"

"What?" he shouts. "That was…" He trails off, his hands ripping at his hair. I reach up, gently pulling his hands away, but not letting go of them.

"That was a perfect first kiss," I whisper. "And then when you… when you started kissing me again on your bus, I'd never felt anything like that before. And I just wanted more and more. Even though I knew that it meant nothing to you, I didn't care. I was somehow affecting _you_, and that made me feel so good, so powerful."

Edward stares down at our joined hands for a minute, swallowing thickly. "It didn't mean nothing to me, Bella."

"You don't have to say that," I reply, shaking my head.

"It's true," he insists. "Even though you were obviously a fan, I could sense that you… that you didn't just see Edward Masen the rock star. I felt like you saw _me_."

"I did. I did see you," I plead. "You're right that I never would've done anything I did with some random guy, because he wouldn't have been _you_. But I didn't have sex with you because you're the keyboard player for The New Moons, if that makes sense."

"I get it," he smiles, pulling me with him as he gets to his feet. He wraps his arms around me, hugging me tightly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Edward is going to Forks! I know many have you have suggested for quite a while that he needed to go with Bella. And while it wasn't _the_ conversation, at least they talked about something of substance finally.

Next update on **Sunday**. Who's ready to go to Forks?


	30. Home

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! Lots of pride in Edward for manning up and worry about how Charlie will react.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 30 — Home<em>

"What are you going to have, Bella?" Edward asks as I peruse the menu at Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse.

After another routine doctor's appointment this afternoon, Edward came back to my room to help me pack up all of my things. Anything I'm not bringing for my two weeks in Forks, he took out to the trunk of his Porsche to keep at his parents' house until I get back. I still don't know where I'm going to be living in two weeks, but he assures me that he has it under control.

Edward suggested having dinner with Alice and Jasper, since we won't see each other for the next month. While he never used the term, it certain _feels_ like a double date.

"Maybe one of the pasta dishes?" I answer. "I definitely don't want seafood before I go to Forks." I eventually settle on a linguine with chicken.

"I can't believe this is my last night as your roommate," Alice laments. "What if I don't like the girl I end up with next semester?"

"It's not like you spend that much time in the room anyway," I remind her. At least not since she started dating Jasper. I have no idea how they'll be able to be apart for an entire month.

I also have no idea how I'll spend nearly two weeks without Edward.

"Oh my God, that steak is huge," Alice exclaims when our waiter sets Jasper's plate down.

He laughs, his eyes twinkling. "You know I'm from Texas; we love our beef."

Our meal is delicious, and afterward, we all split a dessert of a brownie baked in a skillet, covered with vanilla ice cream.

After dinner, the four of us walk around the streets of downtown Chicago, admiring all of the beautiful Christmas decorations that have been up for several weeks already. Now that finals are over, Alice and I finally have the chance to enjoy them.

Snow begins falling softly, and I giggle as the snowflakes land in Edward's riotous hair. I reach up, pulling them out and laughing as they melt in my fingers.

"You're beautiful," he says suddenly. "Your cheeks are pink from the cold and your eyes are shining."

I smile back, not having any idea how to respond to that. I look into Edward's eyes and see the way he's staring back at me. It just feels like _that_ kind of moment — the perfect moment for some sort of declaration of feelings, or at least a tender kiss.

Instead he takes my hand back in his, squeezing it lightly as he starts to walk back toward where he's parked the car.

I'm disappointed, though I try not to show it.

I look around for Alice and Jasper, but they seem to have disappeared somewhere. As Edward drives back toward campus, he hands me his phone to send a quick text to Jasper, who confirms that he and Alice are going to his place. Since our dorm room is free, Edward parks in the lot near the school, coming upstairs with me.

"Did I get everything that's staying in Chicago?" he asks, looking around the room.

"Yep." I grab my laptop off my desk, bringing it over to my bed, where I sit cuddled up next to Edward. "Anything you want to watch?" I ask him.

"We should watch a Christmas movie," he declares, "Since we won't be spending Christmas together." He sounds kind of disappointed, but surely he'd rather be with his family.

After much bickering, we settle on _Elf_, and when it's over, I stand and stretch. "It's getting late," I say softly. "And we need to get up early."

"Yeah," he sighs, standing up. "I'll be here to pick you up somewhere before 6:30, ok?"

"Ugh. Yeah."

We walk downstairs hand in hand and I sign Edward out at the security desk. "See you in the morning," he whispers as he kisses my cheek.

~*~*GN*~*~

I wake up early on Saturday morning with this feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. Almost on auto-pilot, I take a shower and dress in some warm clothes. I'm just about ready to leave when Alice finally opens her eyes with a groan.

"What time is it?" she mumbles sleepily.

"Ten after six."

A garbled moan is her only response.

Chuckling, I finish putting on some light makeup then throw last night's pajamas into my suitcase. Just as I'm zipping it up, my phone pings with an incoming text.

"Edward is almost here," I tell Alice.

"Is he coming up?" she asks, still under the covers.

"Yeah, there's no way he's going to let me carry my suitcase down the stairs."

Alice crawls out of bed, throwing on a pair of lounge pants — which I wasn't even aware she owned — and a stylish-but-comfy top. She walks up to me, throwing her arms around me in a hug. "I'm going to miss you," she says, sounding like she's getting choked up.

"I'll miss you, too, Alice. I hope you have fun with your family." Alice's flight home to Memphis leaves a few hours after mine.

"What you should hope for is that I'm able to hold my temper and you don't see me on the news for killing any of them."

I laugh, giving her another squeeze. I hear my phone ping again and let Alice go. "We'll be right back."

I head downstairs, surprised by the hug from Edward when I open the door to let him in. "Hey," he breathes as he holds me tightly.

"You just saw me last night." Inside I'm squeeing a little though.

"I know," he smiles as he lets me go. Upstairs, I hug Alice one more time and find my room keys, while Edward hefts my laptop bag onto his shoulder and pulls up the handle on my suitcase.

"You go on down," I tell him. "I need to drop the keys off with our RA." Of course, it's too early to expect her to be up, so I slip the keys in an envelope underneath her door, then rush downstairs.

Edward is parked, probably illegally, along the curb on Harrison, so I get into the car as quickly as possible. I'm sure the cops are a little more lenient on move-out day, anyway.

"How are you doing?" he asks as we get on the highway, heading to O'Hare Airport.

"Nervous," I admit. "I just… have a really bad feeling."

He reaches over to squeeze my hand, giving me a small smile. "I'll be right there with you."

When we arrive at the airport, Edward parks his Porsche in a covered spot in one of the long-term lots, dragging both of our suitcases and my laptop toward the station for the train that will take us to the terminal. When it arrives, he finds us a spot along the wall, holding on to me tightly as we start to move.

I look up at the map on the wall. "Which terminal are we going to?"

"Terminal 3 — American," Edward answers. I'm embarrassed that I didn't even know our airline — Edward took care of everything regarding our tickets. I told him not to get First Class seats, but I don't know if he listened to me.

Exiting the train, we make our way to the check-in area. Edward stops at one of the self-serve kiosks and begins entering the information while I wait nearby. "Ok," he says, handing me my boarding pass.

I look down at it, frowning. "Row 4? You got First Class, didn't you?" He shrugs, grinning as he takes my suitcase up to the counter to be tagged, while I remain by the kiosk with the other bags. Since he's only staying for a few days, he just brought a carry-on bag.

"How far along is she?" the clerk asks, nodding toward me.

"Thirty weeks," I answer, stepping closer to the counter. "I have a note from my doctor." She waves me off, transferring my large suitcase to the belt.

Pulling his own bag as well as carrying my laptop, Edward takes my hand as we walk to the security line. While we wait, he sets the laptop bag down and wraps his arms around me from behind. "This reminds me of when we were waiting in line for some of the rides," I say softly. Except for the size of my stomach, of course.

"Yeah." He pulls my hair to one side then kisses the side of my neck, causing goosebumps to erupt all over my body.

When we reach the end of the line, I take off my boots and jacket, placing them in one of the bins along with my purse.

"I still don't like you having to go through the x-ray machine," Edward says, frowning as he looks at it.

"Dr. Gerandy said it's fine," I remind him.

"I know, I just…" He shrugs, shaking his head.

Edward lets me go first and I quickly start gathering up my things before he comes to join me. As we step away, he pulls a baseball cap out of the side of his bag to cover his messy hair.

"Do you want something to eat?" he asks when we pass a food court. "We'll get a hot meal on the plane, but if you're hungry now…"

"I'm good," I assure him.

We sit down once we've reached the right gate. Edward keeps one arm around me while the other holds one of my hands in his, playing with my fingers until they call First Class passengers to board.

Though I don't want to know how much the tickets cost, when I sit down in the wide, comfortable seat with plenty of leg room, I'm grateful to Edward for doing this.

"Remember what your doctor said about getting up to walk around and stretching your legs."

"I have a feeling I won't be able to forget with you here to remind me." He grins at me.

Having never flown in First Class before, I'm impressed by everything, from the hot wet towels we're given before our meal, to the real silverware. And the breakfast is even decent.

Edward prods me like clockwork to get up and walk around. I try to stick to just pacing back and forth in the First Class section though, rather than brave the narrow aisle in the back of the plane.

Despite our 8:30am takeoff, we're in Seattle before 11am, thanks to the two-hour time difference. Once we've collected my bag, we head over to the car rental desk. I shake my head when I see that Edward has rented an SUV.

He shrugs when he sees me staring at the large black vehicle. "I wanted you to be comfortable for the long ride."

I smile at his thoughtfulness, but my smile quickly drops when Edward has to help me up into it. At least he _tries_ to hold in his laughter.

The SUV has a navigation system, so Edward has me program in the address of the motel where he'll be staying for two nights in Forks, despite my assurances that I can give him directions once we make it to Port Angeles. We stop for some fast food near the airport before getting on the road since it's already well past lunchtime in Chicago.

"So how does your dad think you're getting to Forks if he isn't picking you up?"

"I told him I was getting a ride back with Angela," I explain. "She really is driving back to Forks today, but I think she was leaving earlier this morning."

We've been driving for a couple of hours when Edward suddenly shakes his head. "I can't imagine living this far away from a real city."

I grin. "And we haven't even reached Port Angeles yet."

"There are so many trees," he says, almost in awe.

"Yeah, it's very different from Chicago."

"But you like Chicago though… right?" Am I imagining the apprehension in his voice?

"I do," I assure him. "I like having everything so close by."

"Have you figured out how you're going to tell your dad?" he asks cautiously once we're back on the road after a rest stop in Port Angeles.

"No," I reply with a sigh. "I've imagined so many different conversations in my mind, but I just… don't know how to tell him. He'll know the minute he sees my stomach, so maybe I don't actually _have_ to say the words. I'm scared," I whisper, rubbing my ever-growing baby bump.

"Don't be scared, baby. I'm sure he loves you."

"I'm sure he does too, but… you can't understand what a hot button topic this is for him."

When we reach the Forks city limits, I notice the way Edward looks around at everything as we drive down the 101 through town. "It's so quaint," he giggles.

"Hush." I reach over to smack his arm. "Turn right at the next street." I give him directions the rest of the way to my dad's house until we're pulling in to the driveway.

Trembling as I reach for the door handle, I feel Edward's hand on my left arm. "It's gonna be fine, Bella."

I look up toward the house, seeing the door open before my dad steps out onto the porch, staring at the SUV in his driveway with a frown. This obviously isn't Angela's Toyota.

"He sees us," I whisper.

Edward opens his own door, staring toward my father as he walks around to the passenger side. I manage to open the door, then Edward helps me down. His arms twitch like he wants to hug me, but he doesn't — not in front of my dad, most likely.

From where I'm standing, my body is hidden behind the car door, so Dad doesn't know yet. But I know it won't take long as soon as I step out from behind it.

"Ready?" Edward whispers.

I nod, even though I'm not. I don't think I'll ever be ready.

Edward takes my hand, pulling me out of the way, and then slams the door closed. I hear my father's gasp and I know he's seen my bump.

"What in the hell?!" he growls as we walk toward the porch.

"Hi, Dad," I greet him, at a loss for anything else to say.

Suddenly he turns, rushing back inside. Edward looks at me in confusion, but I'm as lost as he is. We step onto the porch and I push the door open, walking into the house.

"Dad?" I call, moving into the small living room.

"Fuck," I hear Edward mutter under his breath. Turning, I see my father standing in front of us holding his gun.

"Dad! What are you doing?"

"I send you off to college to get an education and you come back pregnant?" he snarls. "I'm assuming this is the man responsible."

"Put the gun down, Dad!" I yell, starting to panic.

"Bella, get behind me," Edward orders, pulling at my arm. But I can't do it, I can't hide anymore. I reach toward my dad's hand, trying to get the gun away from him. He's taught me enough about guns to recognize that the safety is on.

"Bella!" Edward yells.

"Dad!" I shout again, tears streaming down my face. "Think about what you're doing! Put the gun down."

He stares at me for a moment, as if coming out of a trance, then sets it on the nearby coffee table. I breathe a sigh of relief that the danger has passed, but the next thing I know, he's pushing Edward by the shoulders until his back hits the wall.

"You got my innocent little girl pregnant?" he growls. I scream as I see him rear back to punch Edward, who turns just enough at the last minute that most of the punch gets his chin and not his mouth.

I'm openly sobbing as Dad holds Edward to the wall with one hand, bringing his other hand up around his neck to choke him. "Dad, stop it!" Why isn't Edward defending himself? Why isn't he fighting back? Why is he just taking this? I can't let my dad hurt him.

"Stop!" I shout again, reaching to pull my dad's arm away from Edward's throat. He rears back at the same time and his elbow strikes me in the chest. I stumble backwards from the blow, trying and failing to keep my balance.

I fall to my knees just as I hear Edward's panicked yell, "Bella!"

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><p><strong>AN:** I posted this today so you'd only have a two-day wait until the next update. I'm a nice author, right?

Next update on **Tuesday**.

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><p><em>The Fourth Floor<em> didn't finish in the top 3 in the Twific Fandom Awards voting for Favorite Ficlette. Thanks to all who voted for me!


	31. Protect

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! And thanks for not killing me for the cliffie! Most reviewers for one chapter since the big three!

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

**Thank my boss for scheduling an early staff meeting for this being about an hour early today.**

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><p><em>Chapter 31 — Protect<em>

I'm dazed. My knees are stinging from where I landed heavily on them, and I can't catch my breath. My ears barely register scuffling around me. I instinctively touch my stomach with my right hand and feel the baby hit back — does that mean she's ok?

"Bells?" My dad's worried voice only just cuts through the fog in my brain.

"Stay away from her!"

And then I feel him — Edward, as he winds one of his arms around my back. I try to breathe in, trying to catch his scent so that it can ground me.

"Are you ok, baby?" His voice sounds strained, panicked.

"I… think… so," I try to speak through my choking sobs.

"Bells," my dad's voice is softer as I feel a hand on my right arm.

"Don't. You. Touch. Her." Edward sounds livid, ferocious… I've never heard anything quite like it. The hand disappears.

"Look at me, baby." He's so tender now, pleading. He turns my head, lifting my chin until I'm facing him, where he kneels beside me, and staring into his eyes. "Do you think you can stand?"

I nod, and he carefully pulls me to my feet. My legs almost buckle from the pain in my knees.

"Can you walk or should I carry you?"

"I'm too heavy," I wail.

"No, you're not."

"Walk," I choke out. And with Edward's arm wrapped tightly around me, I take one shaky step, and then another.

"Bells," my dad pleads, "It was an accident."

"Stay back," Edward warns him, leading me onto the porch. He helps me down the stairs and over to the SUV, pulling the door open. He lifts me up into the vehicle then quickly runs around to the driver's side. I look back toward the house, seeing my dad staring back at us from the doorway.

Edward doesn't even buckle his seatbelt before backing out of the driveway. "Where's the hospital?" he asks, still sounding panicked. I shake my head. "Bella! He hit you in the stomach, I need to take you to the hospital."

"No," I sob. "Hit my chest."

Edward rounds a couple of corners, then pulls over to the side of the street, getting his phone out of his pocket. He drums his fingers on the dash for a few moments, waiting for whomever he's calling to pick up, I assume.

"Carlisle," he says shortly. "Bella fell, her dad knocked her down. Should I take her to the hospital?"

My breathing still labored, I watch his face as he listens to the response. "He wants to talk to you," he tells me, handing me his phone.

"Dr. Cullen?" I sniffle loudly, trying my best to stop crying.

"_Bella, Edward says your dad knocked you down?_"

"It was an accident," I reply through my panting breaths. "He was trying to hit Edward and his elbow caught me in the chest."

"_Are you in any pain?_"

"No."

"_Bella, I want you to take a couple of deep breaths, in and then out, can you do that for me?_"

"Ok." I breathe in, holding it for a few second before exhaling. After a few times, I start to feel a little calmer.

"_Now tell me, does anything hurt?_" Dr. Cullen asks.

"Only my knees where I landed."

"_Ok, good. I don't think you need to go to the Emergency Room right now, but if your abdomen starts to hurt or the baby doesn't seem to be moving as much, please let Edward take you._"

"All right."

"_Also, if you notice any bleeding or even spotting, go to the ER immediately. Try to lie down and rest now. If your knees keep hurting, you might want to put ice on them._"

"Ok," I reply, though I have no idea how I can calm down enough to rest.

"_Good, now please pass the phone back to Edward._"

Wordlessly, I hold the phone out to Edward and he takes it, holding it up to his ear. "Carlisle? Ok… yeah… I will. Thank you."

He ends the call, exhaling heavily. And then without a word, he puts the car back in Drive and hits the gas pedal.

Just a couple of minutes later, Edward turns into the motel parking lot. He pulls into a spot near the main office then shuts off the engine before turning to me.

Taking my head in his hands gently, he begins brushing my hair back. "I need to go check in. I'll be back in just a couple of minutes. I promise, ok?" When I give him a shaky nod, he leans forward, pressing his lips to mine for one wonderful second.

"I'll be right back." Edward stares into my eyes for a moment, then opens the door and climbs out.

Though I know he's coming back, the moment he's gone, tears are streaming down my face. I feel so alone… so lost and scared. Dad's reaction was so much worse than even my worst nightmare had conjured up. What if I've lost my father for good?

I'm startled when the passenger side door suddenly opens. "Come on, baby," Edward says, reaching across me to open my seatbelt. He tugs me until I'm turned sideways, then helps me down. I hear two beeps as he presses the keyfob to lock the car.

"Our room is close enough to walk from here," he says, leading me toward the building. He unlocks the door, hugging me tightly as soon as we step inside.

"Don't cry, baby," he soothes. "I hate it when you cry." I can feel Edward's heart beating madly beneath my ear and I squeeze him just as tightly.

When I've calmed somewhat, Edward leads me over toward the large bed, sitting me down on the dark brown comforter. He stands in front of me, staring down at me. "Are you sure you're ok? Are you comfortable? I can go bring our bags in now if you want to change. Or I can take you to the ER, no matter what Carlisle said."

I look down at my leggings, shaking my head. "I'm ok," I whisper.

He reaches out, unbuttoning my winter coat, and gently pushes it off my shoulders. He moves to set it on the dresser then comes back to me, helping me to lie down facing the edge of the bed. I grab one of the extra pillows, placing it between my knees while his hands remove my boots, letting them drop to the floor.

"Carlisle said you should try to rest."

"Will you stay with me?" I feel pitiful for asking, but I need him.

"Of course I will — nothing will keep me away." I watch as Edward removes his own jacket and shoes then feel the bed dip as he crawls behind me. He reaches one arm around me, pulling me back into his chest, and I start to relax just a little.

Soon, it's not enough. I need to be closer to him, surrounded by him. I roll over to face him, scooting closer until I can bury my head in his chest.

"Everything's gonna be ok, baby," he says softly, pulling me as close as my stomach will allow. "Just rest." I close my eyes, feeling his lips on my forehead, and I relax a little more. His hand strokes through my hair again and again until sleep takes me.

~*~*GN*~*~

When I blink my eyes open, the first thing I notice is that it's dark. As my eyes adjust to the darkness, I look up into Edward's eyes, staring down at me. He smiles gently then brushes his lips against mine.

"Are you all right?" he whispers.

I stop for a moment, taking inventory. Nothing hurts, but I feel like my bladder is about to burst.

I move to sit up and he loosens his arms from around me. "I'm just gonna…" I stop, clearing my throat, then point toward the bathroom.

As I wash my hands, I splash water on my face, which is red and splotchy from all of my crying. I look like shit.

When I come back out, Edward has turned on the light and is sitting up on the bed, watching me carefully. "Ok?" he asks. "No spotting or anything?"

"Carlisle told you about that?" He nods and I feel my face flame. "I'm fine," I assure him. "What time is it?"

"It's almost seven. I'm starving, and you need to eat, too. What's closest to here?"

"Um, Pacific Pizza, I guess. They have pasta and sandwiches too, if you don't want pizza. I'll take the Caesar panini."

"You want me to pick it up instead of going out, right?" he asks with a wink. I sit down next to Edward on the bed as he pulls out his iPhone. I assume he's looking up the menu online, and he calls in the order a few minutes later.

"I'm gonna get our bags," he says, stepping into his boots. He's back in just a couple of minutes, leaving my laptop bag and purse on the dresser and the two suitcases in front of the sliding door to the patio.

When he sits back down next to me, I notice for the first time the bruise forming on his jaw. I reach out to touch it and he hisses a little.

"Your father packs a punch," he tries to joke.

"Why didn't you defend yourself?"

He shrugs. "I kinda deserved it, didn't I? I mean, I did defile his innocent teenage daughter."

"I forgave you for that," I remind him.

"I know," he sighs. "Sometimes I don't know why though."

"Because it wasn't all your fault — I could've said no." I swallow thickly. "So… what do we do now?"

"We're supposed to hang out with Angela tomorrow, right? We should do that, let your dad calm down a little, then… maybe try again on Monday."

"I guess I messed up even worse than you did in the 'how to tell the parents' thing."

"No, I fucked it up — again. Just by being here." I open my mouth to disagree, but… well, he might be right. Still, I appreciate that he was trying to do the right thing.

Suddenly, Edward grasps the back of my neck, pulling me closer, then presses a soft kiss to my forehead. "Will you be ok while I go get dinner?"

"I'll be fine."

He moves back a little ways so that he can look me in the eye. He must think I look like I can handle it, because he lets me go and stands up, grabbing his coat.

I exhale heavily once the door closes behind him, standing up to go find my purse. I pull out my phone, which is still turned off from the flight, intending to text Angela. As soon as I turn it on, I see 20 missed calls, all from my dad. He hasn't left a message.

I sigh, closing my eyes. Even before we left the house, I could tell that he was sorry that I got caught in the crossfire. Whether or not he's sorry for trying to hurt Edward, I don't know.

I also don't know if he'll even be willing to see us on Monday.

I send a quick text to Angela to let her know what happened and ask about tomorrow. Since it's Sunday, she has to attend her dad's sermon, but then plans to meet Edward and me for brunch at the diner.

Grabbing the remote control off the dresser, I turn on the TV. Just as I sit back down on the bed, my phone rings — my dad again. I swipe to answer the phone, but don't say anything.

"_Bells?_" his voice comes over the receiver.

"Yeah."

"_Are you all right? I didn't mean—_"

"I'm fine," I cut him off.

"_Bells, I…_" He stops, sighing loudly. "_The gun wasn't loaded; I'd been in the kitchen cleaning it when I heard you guys drive up._"

I'm momentarily startled from what I was planning to say. "Are-are you still working a later shift on Monday?" I ask.

"_Yeah,_" he replies, sounding apprehensive.

"Then if you think you'll be able to sit down and talk calmly, Edward and I will come by on Monday morning."

"_Where are you going to be until then?_"

"We have plans with Angela tomorrow," I remind him. I'd mentioned the last time I talked to him that my best friend and I were anxious to see each other.

"_Bells, where are you staying? You can come home._"

"No, I can't — not right now. I'm at a motel in town."

"_With him?_"

I look toward the door as I hear it open. Edward walks inside, eyeing me curiously when he sees I'm on the phone.

"I have to go; Edward just got back with dinner." I hang up, setting my phone on the bedside table.

I get up, joining Edward at the small round table in our room. "My dad," I tell him as I take a seat on one of the two chairs. "He must've called 20 times while my phone was off." Edward just watches me curiously, not speaking. "I told him we'll see him on Monday morning if he's able to sit down and talk calmly."

"What did he say?" Edward asks.

"He said I could come home, but… " I shake my head.

"No. You're staying with me, where you're safe. End of discussion." I smile a little at how protective he seems.

"He, um, said the gun wasn't loaded." Edward's eyes widen for a moment, and he stares at me before moving to open the pizza box.

"What kind of pizza did you get?" I ask.

"It's one of their gourmet pizzas with spinach and ricotta, but it has beef and Italian sausage on it, too. You can have a piece. I got us drinks from the vending machine in the office — hope that's ok?"

"It's fine," I assure him, unwrapping the foil from my panini. "We're all set to meet Angela tomorrow after her dad's sermon. Unless—unless you want to go see his sermon?"

Edward looks up from his pizza as if startled. "Do you?"

I bite my lip, staring down at my plate. "I don't go to church," I confess quietly.

"I thought everyone in small towns went to church," he chuckles.

"Do you remember what I told you, about how my dad told me my mom had died?" His brow furrows for a minute, and then he nods. "I can't… I can't worship someone who could take my mom away.

"Dad goes, sometimes," I whisper. "But I can't."

Edward wipes his hand on a napkin, reaching over to caress my face. "It's fine, baby. Mom raised me that we're all free to believe whatever we want and worship however we want."

When we finish our dinner, Edward settles on the bed, sitting propped up with pillows against the headboard. He pulls me to sit between his legs, my back to his chest. We have DirecTV, so he finds us a movie to watch, wrapping his arms around me so that he can rub my stomach.

At some point, his hands move to my shoulders, kneading and massaging them just as he did that night on their tour bus. A few times I swear I feel his breath on my neck, but he doesn't start kissing it the way he did that night. I'm not sure how I'd react if he did.

"You should go take a warm bath," he suggests. "I saw bubble bath in there earlier." That actually sounds like a great idea; my dorm only had showers, so I haven't had a bath in ages.

I turn around to look at Edward and he smiles at me. "I promise not to peek in," he winks.

Scowling at him, I get up and dig my pajamas out of the suitcase. Just in case, I lock the door after I step into the bathroom. I start the water in the tub and pour some bubble bath, then undress, frowning at the bruises on my knees. When I slip into the warm water, I sigh at how amazing it feels. Leaning my head against the back of the tub, I close my eyes, inhaling the lavender scent of the bubbles.

And then I sit up for a moment in panic — I'm going to share a bed with Edward tonight. Sure it's king-sized, but… I've never shared a bed with a boy! What if he… what if he sleeps naked?

When I feel like a prune, I get out of the water and dry off. I go through my nightly routine and step back out into the bedroom, feeling a little self-conscious about my lack of a bra underneath my pajama top.

"Your turn," I tell him quietly.

He smiles at me as he stands up, dropping a kiss on my forehead on his way into the bathroom. I crawl under the covers, trying to will my brain to shut off and let me sleep.

Edward returns a few minutes later, turning off the lamp before I feel the bed dip from his weight. "You coming?" he asks sleepily.

It takes me a moment to realize what he wants. When the light bulb goes off, I carefully roll over, scooting closer to him. I reach an arm out and—

"You're naked!"

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><p><strong>AN:** A fun cliffhanger this time! Do you think Edward is really naked? Or did Bella just freak herself out?

Protective Edward for the win! Do we feel better that the gun wasn't loaded?

Next update on **Friday**.


	32. Flirt

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! I'm glad you all enjoyed Tuesday's cliffie. The vast majority of you think Edward is wearing sleep pants, or at least underwear. Let's see!

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

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><p><em>Chapter 32 — Flirt<em>

I yank my hand back and move away as if I were burned the moment I touch Edward's warm, bare skin. His loud laughter fills the air.

"I'm not naked, Bella," he manages between his chortles. "I'm wearing underwear."

He shifts on the bed, turning the light on, then flings the covers down. "See?"

I quickly avert my eyes, one hand rushing up to cover them. I don't _want_ to see.

"Oh, come on," he snickers. "These are for you. I usually sleep naked."

Slowly, I separate my fingers, peeking through. He's wearing black boxer briefs, so similar to that night on the bus. I try not to stare at the bulge between his legs.

Rolling his eyes, Edward tugs the covers up to the middle of his chest. "Will you come here now that you're satisfied I'm not naked?"

Tentatively, I scoot a little closer, laying my head down on the edge of my pillow. Edward mirrors my position, staring into my eyes for a moment, then smiles. "Ready for me to turn the light back out?"

"Maybe I'm not done looking at you." Ok, I _really_ didn't mean to say that out loud.

He looks startled for a moment, then grins, rolling partially onto his back and spreading his arms.

"Look away!" he tells me with a smirk.

I stare down at his bare chest; he's even more perfect than I'd remembered. Without my permission, my hand moves to touch the nipple ring that so fascinates me, but Edward is faster, grabbing my wrist in his hand.

"Do you really want to do that? Because I won't be responsible for my actions if you touch me there."

I swallow thickly, feeling my face flame at his words and the husky voice in which they were uttered.

My body most definitely wants me to touch him and see what happens. But how can I be sure that I won't end up with my heart trampled on again? How can I be sure that I'm enough for him?

"What are you thinking?" Edward whispers. "The expression on your face… it just changed from lust to… sad."

I shake my head. It's been a long, awful day. Now is not the time. "Turn out the light."

Edward stares at me a moment, then twists to reach the light switch. When we're plunged into darkness, I feel his arm come around me, pulling me closer. I hesitantly reach out, wrapping an arm around his waist. I sigh at the feel of his bare skin under my fingertips, then tuck my head under his chin.

He leans down, kissing the top of my head, and I let my eyes close. "Goodnight, baby," he whispers.

~*~*GN*~*~

When I blink my eyes open into the gray morning light, my first thought is that I'm much too warm. And then I realize that Edward is completely wrapped around me. I got up to use the bathroom at some point during the night and when I came back to bed, I lay down on my own side so I didn't disturb him. I wonder if he even realized what he was doing when he snuggled up to me.

Of course, being a woman who's 30 weeks pregnant, I need to pee again. I try to extricate myself from Edward's embrace, but he only tightens his grip. He mumbles something, but I can't understand a word.

I wiggle around a little, trying to convince him to let me go, stopping short when I feel… well, I'm not 100% sure, but I think it's _Little Edward_ poking my backside.

"Mmmm…" he moans, pushing what is most definitely not-so-Little Edward into me. Gasping, I start to panic, wondering what I should do. I mean, I can't let him… do that — can I?

"Oh God!" I yelp when he does it again.

I hear Edward's breathing change, realizing my cry has woken him up. "I need to get up, Edward," I beg. "I really, really need the bathroom."

Sighing, he loosens his grip, rolling away from me. I sit up then look over at the way he's now sprawled out on his back. The covers are low enough that I can see the V of his hip bones and the hair leading down to… No, not thinking about that part of Edward's anatomy.

"Thank you," I manage to squeak out, before I stand up, heading for the bathroom.

"If you're planning to shower, let me go first."

I stop, looking over at Edward, who's scrubbing his hands over his face. "Why?"

"I need to take care of something," he smirks.

My eyes widen when I realize what he's referring to. "You're not really going to… do that… in the shower?!"

"Would you like to take care of it for me instead?" he asks with a wink.

I grimace. "You'll clean the shower when you're done, right?" I mean, I need to shower so I can wash my hair.

He laughs loudly, grinning at me. Ugh, I don't have time for this… I really do need to pee.

I stalk to the bathroom, just barely making it in time. I wash my hands afterward, thinking about going ahead and taking a shower, just to mess with him. Or would it be cruel to let him remain in this state for another 10 minutes? Of course, I didn't bring my clothes in with me, so I can't do that in any case.

I walk back into our room, self-consciously crossing my arms over my chest as I stand looking over at where Edward is now sitting up on the bed. "All yours." He places his feet on the floor, and—

"Oh my God," I yell, squeezing my eyes closed when they disobey my mind and try to stare at his bulging underwear.

"Bella," his incredibly sexy voice whispers in my ear, causing me to jump. I peek my eyes open, staring up into Edward's green ones. "I'd be more than happy to let you assist."

I swallow thickly, continuing to stare. "I-I wouldn't know what to do."

"Oh, I think you do. And if not, I'm a pretty good teacher." He winks, then takes pity on me and continues on his way to the bathroom.

I exhale heavily once the door is closed behind him. When I hear the shower turn on, I cross the room, digging around in my suitcase which Edward kindly lifted onto one of those metal racks last night. After choosing a pair of jeans and a sweater, I sit down on the bed to wait.

I've only been sitting there a couple of minutes when I hear it — Edward _groaning_ from the bathroom. I'm so embarrassed knowing what he's doing in there that I feel like I could fry an egg on my face.

I bet he didn't lock the door, so I could peek if I wanted to.

No, I can't do that. But I want to. My mind starts conjuring up all sorts of images of Edward… _pleasuring himself_. It's starting to get really hot in here.

I hear the shower turn off, and then only a minute or two later, Edward steps into the room. And God help me, he's wrapped in a towel, a few water droplets still clinging to his chest. He smiles as he passes me, making his way across the room to where his suitcase sits on the floor near mine. He crouches down, pulling something out, then stands… and drops the towel.

I gasp, staring at his naked butt as he steps into a pair of underwear. I hadn't really looked at this side of him after we had sex. Of course, it _would_ be just as perfect as the front.

His back still to me, Edward pulls on a pair of jeans, turning to face me as he buttons the fly. "Enjoy the show?" he asks with a wink.

Huffing, I pick up my clothes and hurry into the bathroom, where I shed my pajamas. I eye the shower before turning it on, making sure he really did clean it. Seeing no… evidence, I step over the side of the tub.

As I wash myself, my mind again pictures Edward in here and I lick my lips. There's no denying I want him. If only I could be sure that I can trust him not to sleep around.

Very slowly, I trail my right hand down below my rounded stomach. I brush a finger between my legs, but it just doesn't feel like it did when Edward did this. It's _his_ touch that I want, not my own.

Sighing, I finish my shower then step out and dry off. I wrap a smaller towel around my wet hair as I get dressed, then brush my teeth. It's pretty steamy in the bathroom, so I step out into the room, remove the towel and shake my hair out.

And then I realize that Edward is nowhere to be seen. A brief moment of panic comes over me, but then I take a deep breath. I'm sure he'll be right back.

Just after I've finished brushing out my hair, he is.

"Oh, hey," he says, setting the room key down on the table. He looks more than edible in a black v-neck sweater. And apparently I was too busy staring at his body earlier to notice he hasn't shaved this morning. "I thought I'd be back before you came out. Don't girls take forever to get ready in the morning?"

I scowl at him. "Where were you?" Shit, that came out sounding more accusing than I'd intended.

"I went over to the office for the continental breakfast. I would've brought you something but we couldn't take food out of the room."

"We're meeting Angela for brunch in less than an hour," I remind him gently.

He shrugs. "I only had a muffin; I was starving."

I shake my head. I wish I could eat as much as he does and not gain any weight. I don't even want to know how he works off the calories.

I blow dry my hair then sit on the bed next to Edward, who's busy typing on his phone. I want to ask who he's talking to, but I don't want to piss him off. Finally he tosses his phone toward the end of the bed.

"I told Mom what happened," he says quietly.

His mom? "That's who you were texting?"

"Yeah," he nods. "She must not have her phone near her or she she'd have called me back by now."

Up close, I can see the darkening bruise on his chin, instinctively reaching out to touch it. "Does it hurt?" I ask softly.

"A little," he shrugs. "That's why I skipped shaving." I rub my thumb back and forth over the scruff on his chin, remembering the feel of it on my neck.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, "For my dad."

"It's not your fault; you didn't know what he was going to do." Suddenly, Edward reaches over, tucking my hair behind my ear. "You have such pretty hair," he says with a smile.

"You have pretty everything," I blurt out.

He huffs. "Men are handsome, not pretty."

I can't help smiling a little. "Well, you're handsome, pretty, gorgeous, hot, sexy… Every adjective this English major can think of." That has never been in question.

"Tell me what you were thinking last night," he says, looking at me so intensely that I feel like he's seeing right through me.

"When last night?" I hedge, though I'm pretty sure I already know.

"Just before we went to sleep."

I fidget, playing with my fingers in my lap. How do I explain this tug of war going on inside me? I don't want to offend him in any way.

"Bella," he prompts, reaching out to lift my chin. "Please tell me."

"You broke my heart, Edward," I rush out. "Alice told me I was lucky it hadn't happened before, but…" His face falls as he stares down at his lap. "I know you're sorry."

"More sorry than you can ever imagine."

"How do I ever trust you?" I whisper.

He opens and closes his mouth a few times, before shaking his head. "I probably wouldn't trust me either," he mumbles.

Edward buries his head in his hands and my heart screams at me to reach out and comfort him. And so I do, letting my fingers trail up and down his back.

He moves his hands away and closes his eyes, sighing. "I swear, your touch is like heaven and hell sometimes."

I hear my phone beep and reach around behind Edward's back to grab it off the nightstand. "Angela says her dad's sermon is over. Once they get home, she'll get in her own car and drive to the diner."

"Speaking of heaven and hell," he jokes, making me smile. "Are you excited to see your friend?"

"I am, but not half as excited as she is to see _me_. She keeps asking me to send her selfies of my baby bump, but she's dying to see it in person."

"How is my daughter this morning?" he asks, reaching over to rub my stomach.

"Taking a nap, I think. She was pretty active when I first got up. I think she woke me up by kicking my bladder."

"Hey, you be nice to your mama," he leans down a bit to scold her, making me giggle.

"Better be tough with her now, because you won't be later. Everyone says little girls have their daddies wrapped around their fingers."

"Did you?" he asks softly.

"Yeah… before my mom died, anyway." Sighing, I slide over to the edge of the bed. "Come on, let's go meet Angela. We can walk from here since it's not raining."

Edward and I both grab our coats, then head outside. "This way," I tell him, leading him north on the 101. "It's only about three blocks to the diner."

He holds my hand as we walk along the road. "Down here is the bowling alley," I nod to my right when we cross E Street. "Just a couple of more blocks to the diner. Angela and I will give you a proper tour later."

"That should take, what, five minutes?" he winks.

"Don't make fun of my hometown." I reach over and smack his arm, though I'm just teasing. Forks really is tiny compared to Chicago.

When we reach the diner, Angela hasn't arrived yet. It's nice enough to stand outside and wait though.

"I like seeing all the trees and mountains in the distance," he says quietly.

"Yeah… it's really beautiful here, but the weather is usually pretty crappy. No snow though."

"You liked the snow Friday night."

"I did," I remember with a smile. "Oh, here's Angela." Her silver Toyota pulls into the lot and she jumps out of the car, practically running over to us.

"Oh my God, let me see! Let me see!"

Rolling my eyes, I undo the handful of buttons at the top of my coat, holding it open for her perusal.

"So cute!" she squeals. "It's like you haven't gained a pound except for the baby."

"Ha," Edward chokes. I turn to glare at him, just as Angela seems to notice him standing there for the first time.

"Well, hello again, Edward. So nice of you to wear some pants."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I had visions of getting much further into the visit with Angela in this chapter, but Edward just took over and told me he wanted to be a little bit cheeky. Should Bella have helped him out with his not-so-little problem?

They kinda-sorta talked about where things stand… maybe?

Next update on **Sunday**.

* * *

><p>For a Christmasy fic, check out my one-shot <em>Naughty Can Be Nice<em>. I wrote it for moosals as her Christmas present last year, and the banner she made for me is gorgeous!


	33. Angela

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! The majority think Bella did the right thing in not helping Edward with his problem, though some wanted her to do it.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 33 — Angela<em>

I look over at Edward, expecting him to be scowling at my best friend. Instead, he's staring down at his feet, the tips of his ears turning pink.

"Not one of my best moments," he mumbles.

"Pap got your good side, at least," Angela jokes.

I reach out, taking Edward's hand in mine and squeezing, trying to let him know that though he did break my heart, I'm willing to move past it.

"Leave him alone, Ang," I warn her, clearing my throat. "Edward, this is Angela Weber, my best friend for the last 10 years. She fangirls over Seth," I add.

Now Angela scowls, suddenly grabbing me in a hug. "Can I touch it?" she asks excitedly. I nod and she places her hand on my stomach. "So freaky, it's _hard_! I don't remember that from when my mom was pregnant with my brothers," she laughs.

The baby kicks or elbows me and Angela's gasp lets me know that she felt it. "She's saying hi."

Angela beams at me. "Are you ready to go in?" she asks.

I turn and look through the windows, a little bit dismayed to see that much of the after-church crowd seems to be at the diner. I should've thought of that before. If just one of them sees my stomach, the news will be all over Forks by nightfall. It's not that I'll be embarrassed… exactly. I just don't want to be the center of attention and feel like everyone is judging me.

"Ready as I'll ever be," I reply quietly. I button up my coat — trying to hide — then let Edward take my hand as we follow Angela inside.

"Sit anywhere you like," one of the regular waitresses, Lucy, calls over her shoulder in her gravelly smoker's voice when the chime above the door sounds. The woman must be as old as dirt.

"Looks like a booth open over there," Angela says, motioning toward her left. We move to the booth and I stop, looking at it with a frown.

"I'm not sure I'll fit." Edward laughs, and I glare at him, reaching over to give him a smack.

Angela sits down on one side and tugs the table toward herself a couple of inches. "Now try," she suggests with a small smile.

I sit down sideways, then slowly twist around until I'm sure my stomach has at least an inch or two of clearance. I slide over, removing my coat as Edward sits down beside me.

I pick up a single menu from behind the napkin holder and hand it to Edward.

"Don't you need one?" he asks.

"Nah," I shake my head. "I don't think the menu has changed since I moved here."

"What are you getting?" Angela asks.

"I've been craving eggs for the last month."

"Aren't you supposed to crave, like, pickles and ice cream?" she jokes.

"Gross!" I chuckle.

"Angela Weber," Leah, a young waitress from nearby La Push greets her as she comes up to our table, notepad in hand. "Welcome back! How was your first semester at college?"

"Really good," she answers with a smile.

"Oh, Bella! I didn't see you back there. How was Chi—" She stops, her eyes widening. Clearly she's noticed my very pregnant stomach.

"Hi, Leah," I try to greet her normally.

"Your father was just in here for lunch yesterday. He was all excited about you comin' home, but he never mentioned that he's gonna be a grandpa!"

I just smile a little in response.

"When are you due?"

"Just over two months."

"Oh wow! It'll be here before you know it," she smiles. "Is this your boyfriend?" she asks, nodding toward Edward. He gives her one of his panty-dropping smiles and Leah's eyes widen.

"Uh… no, he-he's not my boyfriend," I stutter. I mean, he isn't, is he? We've never really defined our relationship.

"Oh, well… that's a shame." She clears her throat. "So what can I get you guys?"

We place our orders and Leah walks away. "No breakfast food for you?" Angela asks Edward.

"It's lunchtime," he shrugs. "And I already had a muffin at the motel."

"Did you guys have a good flight and everything yesterday?"

"Yeah, it was fine. Edward got us seats in First Class."

"Nice," Angela smiles. "How long are you here for, Edward?"

"I was planning to leave sometime tomorrow and spend the night near the airport, since I got a flight back pretty early on Tuesday. But now I'm not going anywhere without Bella," he states firmly.

I turn and stare at Edward. We hadn't discussed that he would stay in Forks with me.

"So you'll try to talk to the Chief again?" she asks me.

"That's the plan," I nod. "Wait for him to calm down a little bit and talk to him tomorrow morning."

"He really pointed a gun at you, Edward?"

"He did," he confirms. "Bella about gave me a heart attack trying to get it away from him." He turns and glares at me.

"I could see that the safety was on," I point out. I reach over, holding Edward's chin up so that Angela can see. "This is from the punch Dad got in."

"Ouch," she grimaces. "So how are you feeling, Bella? You look great!"

"I feel as big as a house," I grumble. "I can't see my feet anymore. And she's kicking me pretty regularly."

"Do you guys have a name picked out?" she asks eagerly.

My eyes widen as I stare at Angela.

"Here's your drinks, guys," Leah says, setting them down on the table. I immediately remove the wrapper from my straw and take a sip of my water.

"We haven't really talked about names," Edward says once Leah leaves, putting his arm around my shoulders.

"Really?! Gosh, I've known what I plan to call my future daughter since I was 14."

"I think… I think it'd be nice to at least give her my mom's name as her middle name," I say quietly, the idea popping into my head for the first time.

"What was your mom's name?" Edward asks, brow furrowed. "I don't think you've ever mentioned it."

"Renee."

"That's a nice middle name," Angela agrees.

"Does that mean I get to pick out her first name?" he asks. I look over at him and he smirks at me.

"We'll pick it out together when she's born," I argue. "I can't imagine naming a baby without actually seeing their face to know that the name fits." Though we should probably at least start discussing ideas.

"So how were your finals, Angela?" I ask, changing the subject.

She groans. "Pretty good, I think. I'll be glad when I'm done with all the preliminary courses."

"No doubt," I agree. "I am so glad I never have to take a math class again. Emmett had to tutor me in Calculus."

Angela's eyes widen. "Emmett as in… Emmett Cullen?"

"Yeah, he majored in Engineering in college," I reply with a smile. "He's a goofball, but he's smart."

She shakes her head. "I just can't get over you being friendly with the band."

"They're just regular people," I shrug.

Leah returns with a large, round tray filled with our plates, setting them down with a smile. "Enjoy, guys! Let me know if you need anything else."

"That looks way too healthy," Edward says, giving my veggie omelet the side-eye. "I bet you'll be glad to have the baby just so you can eat whatever you want again."

"I still won't be able to eat whatever I want, not if I'm breastfeeding," I point out, cutting off a bite.

"Do you think you'll be able to do that, I mean with school?" Angela asks.

I frown. "I managed to schedule all of my classes next semester for Tuesday and Thursday, so I only have to worry about finding someone to watch the baby two days a week. But I guess you're right that I'll be away from her pretty much all day those two days. And babies need to feed every couple of hours."

"Do you know yet who's going to watch her while you're in class?" she asks.

"No, not yet. She's due February 22nd, but who knows when she'll actually arrive. I want to try to go back to school as soon as I can, and Esme said she'd take some time off to help out when I do. Maybe that'll get us up to Spring Break, which is the last full week in March. There's only six more weeks of school left after that to worry about, and I'd rather not put her in daycare until the Fall when she's a little bigger."

"Why can't I watch her?" Edward asks quietly. "I mean, I'm her father."

I stare over at him, completely stunned that he'd even _offer_. I mean, this is the same guy who didn't believe babies woke up during the night. What the hell would he know about taking care of a newborn? But that's not the most immediate problem.

"Will you even be around?" I ask. "I mean, you're recording the final takes for the new album right after the New Year, right?"

He frowns. "Well, I guess we'll need to do some promo after the album is released, but we haven't set any tour dates yet."

"Oooh, you'll have a new album out soon?" Angela asks enthusiastically. "I really love your music."

"And Seth," I add with a fake cough.

"Shut up, Swan."

I stick my tongue out at her.

"I wrote a ton of new song ideas and Bella helped me to narrow the list down to maybe two dozen or so. We're working on those this month, recording demos, seeing which ones we like best and which ones the record company likes.

"Oh, and Seth already has a girlfriend, sorry," he adds with a wink.

Angela glares at him. "Ok, I like to drool over Seth, but it's not like I've ever _really_ thought I could ever have him. I mean, who gets that lucky? Not the freakishly tall girl with the glasses. His girlfriend's probably a supermodel like Emmett's fiancée, right?"

"No," Edward chuckles. "She's a college student down in Los Angeles. He met her when we did one of the entertainment shows last year, while she was interning there.

"And your good friend Bella got that lucky," he adds.

I look over at him in shock, my face flaming red. "Have I told you how much I love your blush?" he asks quietly, running a finger down my cheek. He's just talking about "getting lucky" in regards to having sex with him, right? Or is he trying to say I _am_ his girlfriend?

"Crap, Bella," Angela says. "I didn't mean to imply that _you_ thought you'd ever get with Edward." She turns toward him. "I swear, when we got on the bus to go to Wild Waves, she said that she'd be lucky to get within 20 feet of you."

"And anyway," Angela continues, a secret smile on her face, "I have a boyfriend."

My mouth drops open. "No shit? Why didn't you tell me?"

She grins. "It's still kind of new. His name is Ben and he's a med student."

"A nurse and a doctor, that's great." I really am happy for Angela; she totally deserves happiness.

"Ok, I'm gonna go hit the men's room and let you two ladies have your girl talk." Edward rolls his eyes as he slides out of the booth.

He's probably no more than 10 feet away when Angela grabs my hand. "Ok, spill. What is up with you two? Despite what you told Leah, he kinda _acts_ like your boyfriend."

I sigh loudly. "I don't know, Ang. We've kinda-sorta been dating for the last four weeks, I guess. I mean, we hang out, go the Student Center, go out to eat… stuff like that. But he kisses my cheek when he says goodnight.

"He's started getting more flirty with me lately. I think… I mean I'm pretty sure that he's attracted to me… you know, sexually," I whisper.

"Well, that's good, right?" she smiles.

"Well, it's better than him thinking I'm just a fat cow right now. But he's kind of been a manwhore, so honestly it's not saying much." I roll my eyes for emphasis.

Angela's brow furrows as she stares at me. "So… you guys haven't talked about your relationship at all?"

"Not… exactly. I mean, we've never defined our relationship as boyfriend-girlfriend."

"Has he told you what he wants from you?"

I shake my head. "Well, nothing more than his comment this morning that I could help him out with his morning wood."

Angela gasps, laughing out loud for a moment. "Did he _really_?"

"Oh yeah," I confirm.

"Ok… have you told him what _you_ want?"

"Well, _no_," I admit, "But Edward knows I'm attracted to him — I mean, I can't really hide it.

"I want to make a go of things with him," I confess quietly. "Really try to see if we can work as a couple. But only if he can be monogamous. I won't _share_ him."

"I don't blame you there," she says, sipping the last of her coffee. "I could never be with some guy who cheated on me, either."

Angela's eyes widen for a moment, and I turn to look behind me, seeing Edward standing just behind our booth. Shit, did he overhear any of what we just said? I can't read the expression on his face.

He slides into the booth next to me without a word, picking up his glass of Coke and draining it.

I look up as Leah walks over to us. "Can I get you all anything else?" she asks. "We have pumpkin and Boston cream pies today."

"Edward?" I prompt him.

"Maybe later. Just the check, I think."

"All right." She pulls a page out of her notepad, setting it face down. "You can just pay me when you're ready."

Edward picks up the check, then pulls his wallet out of his pants, leaving a few bills on the table. Angela starts to reach for her purse, but he waves her off. "I got it. So are you ready to show me your hometown?"

We both nod, and I wait for Edward to get up before sliding out. I reach behind me to pick up my coat as I stand up. He takes it from me, holding it up so that I can slide my arms into the sleeves.

"Oh my God!" Lucy's gasp causes half the restaurant to turn and stare. "Isabella…?" _Shit._

Once I've got my coat on, Edward puts his hands on my shoulders, rubbing them lightly.

"I thought you left town to go to college?" Lucy asks.

"I did. I go to the University of Illinois."

She tsks a little, nodding her head. "No wonder you went so far away."

"I—" I feel my face flame at her insinuation. Angela looks over at me sympathetically.

"What's your point?" Edward asks, sounding almost angry.

"In my day, girls _in the family way_ would be sent to an auntie's house out of town to avoid the scandal."

"My dad didn't send me away," I retort.

"Well, he sure hasn't told anyone around here that he's gonna be a grandpa!" I want to yell at her that he didn't know, but I'm afraid that might make things worse. And besides, given his reaction yesterday, I'm not so sure he would've told anyone even if he _had_ known.

"We're happy about the baby, Ma'am," Edward states. "It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks."

He wraps an arm around me, turning me toward him. "Let's go, baby."

"Nice to see you again, Lucy," Angela calls, trailing behind Edward and me as we walk toward the door. I try to hold my head up high though I just know that everyone is staring.

Outside, I let out the breath I'd been holding. "Are you all right?" Angela asks as we stop just beyond the entrance. "Such a nosy old lady!"

"You know as well as I do what this small town is like. I mean, there was a reason I could never buy a pregnancy test at the pharmacy in Forks."

"I definitely understand that now," Edward says. I turn to look at him and smile. "So, where are we starting our tour?"

"Maybe walk up as far as the Subway?" Angela suggests. "Or we could go all the way up to the river?"

"Are you ok to walk that far, Bella?" he asks, turning to me.

"I'm good," I assure him; I wore my Chucks today. He takes my hand then motions for Angela to lead the way. We've barely taken a half dozen steps when I stop short. The person who's just gotten out of a car in the diner's parking lot is staring directly at me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Uh-oh, who got out of the car?

Let me know what's on your mind! Did Edward overhear what Bella and Angela were talking about? What did his comment about "getting lucky" mean? Should Bella trust him to watch the baby while she's in school?

Next update on **Tuesday**.


	34. Tour

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! Charlie was by far the most popular guess for the person getting out of the car, with Jacob a distant second. Let's see…

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 34 — Tour<em>

Lauren Mallory walks over to us, that seemingly permanent sneer etched on her face. At least an inch of black roots is visible in her bleached blonde hair.

"Oh. My. God," she sniggers. "Who would have thought that one of the last two virgins in high school would come home _pregnant_?"

"Nice to see you as always, Lauren," Angela replies sarcastically, while I'm too stunned and embarrassed to speak.

"Seriously, who the hell would ever have sex with someone as plain as _you_?" she continues as if Angela never spoke.

"I did."

Lauren turns to look at Edward, seeming to notice him for the first time. She eyes him up and down, licking her lips. "And who are you?"

"I'm Edward — the baby's father," he says, almost proudly. "Who are you?"

Tossing her long, stringy hair behind her back, Lauren smiles, looking more predator than human. "I'm Lauren Mallory. I went to school with Bella and Angela."

She holds her hand out as if to shake, but Edward eyes it distastefully. Instead, he wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. As I look at him in confusion, he leans down to kiss me, promptly sticking his tongue in my mouth.

I'm too shocked to do anything at first, but quickly recover, eagerly kissing him back. He pulls away with a loud smack, smiling down at me. "Let's go, love." I'm dumbfounded by the term of endearment, having to remind myself that he's just putting on a show.

I follow blindly as we walk past a stunned Lauren. Angela keeps peeking behind us, announcing when Lauren has gone inside, then starts laughing loudly. "Oh my God, the look on her face!" she snorts.

"That girl was one of your classmates?" Edward asks, moving his arm from around my shoulders to take my hand instead.

"Yeah… she was pretty much Queen Bitch of the school," I answer.

"She's just jealous 'cause her only talents seem to be on her knees or her back," Angela explains. "She's going to the local community college since she couldn't get in to any of the state schools she applied to."

Edward laughs, shaking his head. "Are you ok, baby?" he asks, stopping for a moment.

I take a deep breath, nodding. "Yeah, I'm ok. I always knew that the Chief's daughter coming home pregnant was going to be a big deal."

"People need to mind their own fucking business," he growls, starting to walk again.

When we reach the end of town, we keep going, past the sign reading 'The City of Forks Welcomes You,' until we reach the bridge over the Calawah River. We climb over the guardrail, carefully making our way down to the river. I can tell that Edward doesn't really want me doing this; he holds tightly to my arm as I navigate the hill.

At the water's edge, Angela and I stand back while he acts like a teenage boy, jumping from rock to rock. I sit down on one of the larger rocks, picking up small pebbles and attempting to skip them across the water.

"I kind of miss the clean air and the green," I tell Angela. "Chicago feels a little suffocating sometimes, being surrounded by so many huge buildings — unless I go down to the lake."

"My campus is in the middle of the city, too, but at least we still have the big trees nearby."

Suddenly Edward comes to sit beside me, wrapping an arm around me. "I know I've been picking on Forks, but it's really pretty here."

"It's even prettier in October, when some of the trees are changing color."

Angela smiles at us, standing up from her rock. "Ready to go?"

We climb back up the hill, then Edward and I walk hand in hand along the edge of the road toward the welcome sign. In just a few minutes, we're back at the end of the town proper, with the gas station and Subway, which I point out to him, "Voila — our one fast food restaurant."

A couple of blocks later, we reach the town's one stoplight. "This Mexican restaurant is pretty good… for Forks," I tell Edward. "Maybe we can eat here tonight?"

"Ok with me," he shrugs.

"This is Division Street," Angela announces as we stand at the corner. "This is the 101, but north of here is called North Forks Avenue and south of here is South Forks Avenue."

"And now you know pretty much everything you need to navigate the town," I add with a laugh.

We turn off at the next street, showing Edward where the elementary, middle and high schools are. "They're all together in a group?" he asks.

"Yep," Angels tells him. "This was our high school — go Spartans!"

"It's so small," he laughs. "I can't even imagine."

"Yeah… it was pretty different coming here from my grade school back in Seattle."

Heading back to the main road, we reach our motel shortly thereafter. "This is where we're staying," I point it out to Angela. "The snob over here decided to stay at the newest motel in town since he couldn't find a 4 or 5-star one."

"Hey!" I laugh at his mock outrage at me for telling Angela the truth.

We keep walking just past our motel to Newton's. "This is where I worked after school," I tell Edward.

"I don't suppose you want to go inside and say hi to your boss?"

I grimace. "Not really."

Edward stares at the building, a contemplative look on his face. "What?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Just thinking of something you said once. When you were explaining why you didn't get the morning-after pill, you said you didn't know how to tell your boss that you were too sick to work if you could go to school. If you hadn't had a job… things would be a lot different today."

I swallow thickly, knowing he's right. If any of the things that had kept me from buying Plan B had gone another way, everything would be different.

"I didn't know you tried to get the morning-after pill," Angela says, brow furrowed.

"Oh… yeah, once I realized we hadn't used a condom. I couldn't buy it in Forks — for obvious reasons — and I couldn't get away from Dad long enough to drive to Port Angeles."

"And then you had to go to school and take your finals," Angela remembers.

"Yeah."

"I'm glad," Edward says quietly. "I'm glad everything worked out the way it did."

I stare up at him in shock; is he really saying he's _glad_ that I'm pregnant? Smiling at me, he pulls me into a tight hug, kissing my forehead as he lets me go. "Is this the end of town?" he asks.

"Just a little further to the Visitor Center and Forks Timber Museum," Angela says. "The museum is closed for the winter, but we can go into the Visitor Center."

A few minutes later we walk inside and show Edward some maps of the area, pointing out La Push, where we're heading soon.

The three of us walk back to our motel — where I totally need a bathroom break — then after much arguing between Edward and Angela over who should drive, we climb into the SUV.

We head north through town, over the Calawah River, directing Edward to take the left turn onto La Push Road. "Be careful on the winding road," I warn him. "We're only 14 miles away, but it takes a half hour to get there. Don't try to show me how fast you can drive."

"Yes, Ma'am," he smirks.

"So La Push is an Indian reservation?" he asks as we reach the edge of town.

"Yes, Quileute. My dad has a lot of friends here." None of which I hope we run into.

We drive down Ocean Front Drive and past the marina, then we turn around and park so we can go down to the beach. Again he holds me tightly as I navigate the path down toward the water.

"So this is First Beach," Angela says. "Second Beach and Third Beach are down that way," she says, pointing to her left.

"Creative names," Edward interjects, rolling his eyes.

"And if we go back a ways, there's a bridge over the Quillayute River leading to Rialto Beach," I add.

"What's the big deal about that one?"

I shrug. "There's a rock formation called Hole in the Wall. You can walk to it, but it's over a mile from the parking spot."

"Rialto Beach is pretty, lots of driftwood," Angela explains.

"There's no one here," he says, looking around with a light laugh.

"Whale watching is in the spring, and there's lots of surfing when the weather warms up. And some of the teenage boys from the reservation like to go cliff diving. Right now it's just crazy people like us though, yeah," I smile.

We walk along First Beach for a while, and Edward takes a bunch of pictures with his phone. Since I'm up for it, we decide to make the drive to Rialto Beach and walk to Hole in the Wall.

First, we stop along the way at a roadside store to get a few bottles of water. They also have some Native American artifacts for sale.

"Mom would really like this place," Edward says, walking along the aisles. I try to smile, but I'm nervous about running in to one of my dad's friends — or worse, Jacob.

I breathe a sigh of relief when we walk out unnoticed, getting back in the car. Once we've turned left onto Mora Road, we follow along the Quillayute River to Rialto Beach. We park in the lot, head down to the sand, then start walking.

"Ah, so that's what they mean by Hole in the Wall," Edward laughs when we finally reach the rock formation a half hour later. He's been snapping photos with his phone all along the way.

Eventually we walk back to the car before it starts to get dark — sunset is around 4:30pm this time of year. We drive to Forks in the darkness, dropping Angela off by her car in the diner's parking lot, as she has to go have dinner with her family. "Let me know what happens with your dad tomorrow," she orders, hugging me quickly.

"I will," I promise her. "Cross your fingers for me."

"Bye, Edward!" she calls. "It was nice to finally meet you properly."

"You too. So," he begins, wrapping his arms around me, "Want to go eat dinner now or later?"

"If we go back to the room, I think I'm gonna fall asleep."

Smirking, Edward helps me back into the SUV, then drives us the few blocks to the Mexican restaurant.

"How many people will know you in here?" he asks as he holds the front door open for me.

"I guess we'll find out."

The place isn't crowded at all, since we're a little bit early for dinner. After we're seated and have ordered our food from a waitress I don't recognize, Edward reaches across the table to take my hand. "You shouldn't worry about what other people think. It's no one else's business but ours that we're having a baby."

"I know, I just… I don't like people judging me."

"That's a reflection on _them_, not you," he insists.

"How can you be so cavalier about it?"

"You learn to be thick-skinned pretty quickly in the music business. _Everyone_ is always judging you."

"They're judging your music," I disagree.

"But I write the music, so it feels like they're judging _me_. I just learned to get over it," he shrugs, taking a sip of his beer.

I narrow my eyes at him. I don't think Edward is quite as unaffected by negative attention as he says he is. "What about earlier?" I ask hesitantly. "When Angela was teasing you about the… the photo?"

He sighs, running his hand through his hair. "I wasn't really upset for me," he says quietly. "I know that the photo hurt you and I didn't want _you_ to be upset."

"I was… crushed when I saw it on Alice's laptop," I admit. "She didn't want to show me, but… I could tell she was trying to hide something from me."

Edward closes his eyes, shaking his head. "I wish you'd never had to see that," he whispers.

"Even if I hadn't seen it, I would've heard about it in the cafeteria within a couple of days. But… seeing it was worse, yeah."

Our waitress drops off our meals, putting a stop to the heavy conversation. I'm glad — I'm dangerously close to losing my appetite just thinking about that photo.

Edward orders a second beer from the waitress and I narrow my eyes at him. "You can drive," he says, rolling his eyes, "If you think I can't manage to drive half a mile after two beers."

"So did you really mean it earlier when you told Angela you wouldn't leave Forks without me?" I ask tentatively.

"Yes. There's no way I'm leaving you alone with your father."

"But… aren't you scheduled to join the band in the studio later this week? You can't miss that because you're too busy babysitting me."

"You and our daughter are more important," he states. "This isn't up for discussion." I smile to myself, but I still don't want him to do anything to jeopardize his career.

When we've finished our meals, we split a dessert, then walk outside into the now-chilly air. "Well?" Edward asks, holding out the keys to me.

"Go ahead… I don't want to have to mess with the seat." He smirks at me, helping me up into the SUV.

We're back at the motel in no time and I pretty much collapse on the bed, pulling off my Chucks. I prop some pillows against the headboard, getting myself comfortable while Edward turns on the TV. Instead of sitting next to me as I'd expected, he sits cross-legged near the bottom of the bed and pulls my socks off.

I eye him curiously as he lifts my feet onto his lap and begins rubbing them. "You don't have to do that." His hands feel absolutely amazing though — but I want them on more than just my feet.

He shrugs. "I want to. It's my responsibility to take care of you."

"Do you want to… stay here tomorrow? I mean, when I go talk to Dad?"

"Absolutely not! You're not going near him alone."

"Edward, he wouldn't hurt me," I plead.

"No, Bella. I promised to stand by you and I meant it. That includes facing down the man who pointed a gun at me."

"Okay," I whisper. Inside, I'm relieved to have him by my side. I always want Edward by my side.

Eventually, Edward moves to sit beside me, leaning against the pillows. He wraps an arm around me and I lean my head on his shoulder, my hand on his stomach. No matter what happens tomorrow, right now I'm content.

~*~*GN*~*~

The next thing I know, I'm naked.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Really, I'm sorry about this cliffie, LOL. Is she dreaming?

Kudos to **lillianolivia. white**, whose guess of "One of the bitchy girls from HS" was the only correct one! At least Edward had a little fun with Lauren… I'm sure the tongue was totally necessary.

How many of you have been to Forks? I wrote this with Google Maps, and looking at some of their photos.

Next update on **Friday**. Bella and Edward talk to Charlie! And there will be some relationship talk, I promise!


	35. Charlie

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! Hmm… most of you think Bella is dreaming, or that she _was_ having a hormone-and-spicy-food inspired dream and took her own clothes off.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 35 — Charlie<em>

I look down and I'm naked from the waist up. Edward is struggling to fit my arms into the sleeves of my pajama top as he pulls it over my head.

"What the hell…?" I mumble sleepily.

"Shit, sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." I blink at him a few times as he pulls the top down over my breasts. "I thought I'd get you more comfortable so you could sleep."

"You saw me naked!"

He rolls his eyes. "It's not the first time."

"But now I'm…" Feeling fat and completely unattractive, though I don't say it out loud. My entire body is probably blushing in embarrassment right now.

"Your tits are bigger."

My eyes widen as I stare at him. "You were comparing?" I screech.

He laughs, then shrugs. "I'm a guy, I can't help it. I didn't touch though — swear. How do I get these jeans off?"

"Give me those," I snarl, reaching my hand out for my pajama bottoms. I have to pee now anyway, so I roll off the bed, making my way to my bathroom. I go through my nightly routine, then head back to the bedroom and fold my discarded clothes, placing them in my suitcase.

When I turn around, Edward has disappeared, presumably into the bathroom. Shaking my head, I crawl under the covers.

He walks into my line of sight as he dumps his clothes in his suitcase and I stare unabashedly at the way his backside fills out his underwear. He smirks when he turns around and sees me watching him.

"Do you really not have any pajamas?" I blurt out.

He laughs. "No, I really don't. I didn't know when I packed that you were going to be staying with me."

"But you were so insistent that I get warm pajamas for the cold Chicago winter!"

"That's different," he shrugs. "You're pregnant and I don't get cold easily."

Edward crawls into bed behind me, turning out the light. Almost immediately he scoots closer, wrapping an arm around me.

"I'd better not wake up with you humping my ass again," I warn him, much to his amusement.

"I really can't help it," he chuckles.

"Uh-huh." Likely story.

He kisses that place where my neck meets my shoulder, sending goosebumps throughout my body. "Good night, sweet Bella."

~*~*GN*~*~

A swift kick to my bladder wakes me up — for the second time — just past 8am, according to the clock on the nightstand. I sit up, looking over at Edward, who's sprawled out on his back across the bed. I don't have time to admire him right now.

After using the bathroom, I come back to find him still sleeping in the same position. I think about what Angela said yesterday, about how we need to talk about what we want from each other. I know she's right; we can't continue in this limbo we're in. But how do I tell him that I've forgiven him for breaking my heart? How do I tell him that I want to _try_?

I stare down at Edward's half-naked body, at the little tent underneath the blanket, and I wonder if I really _could_ help him with that. He liked it when I touched him on the tour bus.

I kneel carefully on the bed, crawling over to Edward's body, then peel the covers down even more carefully. Every inch of him that's revealed is beautiful. His underwear is gray today, and I can easily make out the outline of his hard cock. I reach my hand out toward him, then look up to make sure he's still asleep.

And look directly into his green eyes. _Shit._

"Don't stop on my account," he says in a husky voice.

Can I really do it? Can I… touch him, go after what I want? I just can't get the image of Edward with other girls out of my head.

"Please, Bella," he begs when I don't move a muscle.

"When was the last time you were with another girl?" I whisper.

"What?" he asks, brow furrowed. "You know when."

"Do I?"

Edward sits up, staring at me. "Do you really think I've been out screwing other girls on the nights I'm not with you?"

I shrug helplessly, not sure what I believe right now. He shakes his head, getting up off the bed. After grabbing fresh clothes out of his suitcase, he slams the bathroom door behind him.

_Shit._

I gather some clothes to wear, then come and sit back on the bed, biting my lip while I wait. I think I screwed up and really offended him. Is he saying the model in the TMZ photo was really the last girl he was intimate with — two months ago?

I hear the door open and watch a fully dressed Edward walk into the room.

"Edward, I—"

"Forget it," he interrupts. "Go take your shower."

Trying to fight back tears, I head into the bathroom. I wash quickly, using the shower cap so I don't get my hair all wet. After I've dressed and brushed my teeth and hair, I decide to forego makeup. We're about to go see my dad; I'm probably going to cry today.

I find Edward sitting on the bed, talking to someone on the phone. He looks up at me then back to his phone. "Gotta go, Mom," he says. "Love you."

He sighs, turning to me. "Do you want to get something to eat before we go see your dad?"

"Sure." He hands me my coat, then moves to open the door to our room. We walk in silence to the office, where the breakfast is laid out. I decide to just fix a bowl of cereal, while Edward gets an assortment of pastries.

"Breakfast of champions there," I tease him when we sit down. He shrugs, taking a bite of his blueberry muffin.

We eat our entire meal in silence before I can't take it anymore. "Edward, I'm sorry," I whisper, reaching out to touch his hand. He nods… I hope that means 'apology accepted.'

"Let's go." He stands up and helps me into my coat. He has to stop in the room to grab his own leather jacket, while I wait by the car for him to unlock it and help me up.

"Do you remember how to get to Dad's from here?" I ask as I buckle my seatbelt.

"I remember."

I twist my hands nervously in my lap on the short drive. I have no idea what I'm going to do if this ends badly. When we pull into the driveway, I take a deep breath, steeling myself for the confrontation.

Edward gets out of the SUV, walking around to help me down then suddenly wraps his arms around me. "Whatever happens, I'll stand by you," he promises.

Keeping one arm around me, Edward leads me toward the house. Dad must've heard us, because I see the door open as we climb the steps onto the porch. Holding the door, he stands back, letting us in.

"Bells, I—" he begins, moving forward as if to hug me.

"Don't," Edward warns, stepping in front of me.

"Edward, it's ok," I tell him quietly, rubbing his arm in comfort.

Dad sighs, hugging me briefly, then takes a step backwards. "Do you need anything? Something to drink?"

I shake my head, leading Edward toward the living room. I remove my coat and take a seat on the couch, leaving Dad his favorite recliner.

My father isn't even 40, but he looks older than I've ever seen him as he sits heavily in the chair, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Are you all right, Bells?"

"I'm fine," I whisper, assuming he means after what happened on Saturday.

"No thanks to you," Edward says almost under his breath, and I turn to glare at him. We're here to talk, not fight.

"He's right," Dad says with a sigh. "I never meant for you to get hurt; I'm sorry you were caught in the crossfire." I don't say anything in response since he hasn't apologized to Edward. "I never should've let you go to Chicago for college. I should've insisted you go to U-Dub with your friend."

My brow furrows in confusion for a moment, before I get it. Bracing my hand on Edward's shoulder, I stand up and bring my arm around my stomach. "Look at me, Dad," I implore. "I didn't get pregnant in Chicago. I'm 30 weeks along."

As my dad stares at me in shock, I sit back down, grabbing hold of Edward's hand for support.

"What's your name, son?"

"Uh, Edward," he stops to clear his throat, "Edward Masen. Uh, Sir."

"Hmmm… only Masons I know in Forks have a young daughter."

"Edward isn't from Forks, Dad," I explain quietly. "I, um, met him at Grad Night… at Wild Waves."

Dad's eyes narrow as he stares at us. "You hooked up with a kid from another school?" I cringe at the disgust in his voice. Little does he know, it's worse than that.

"Edward wasn't in school… he was with the band."

"What band?"

"There was a midnight concert that night by The New Moons," I explain. "You know, my favorite band? You bought me their DVD last Christmas. Edward, um, plays keyboards for the band and writes all of their songs."

Dad shakes his head, muttering to himself. "Where is the daughter I raised? I certainly didn't raise you to act like a… a groupie!"

"It wasn't like that," Edward says angrily.

"Then what was it like?" Dad retorts.

I squeeze Edward's hand, begging him to let _me_ explain this, before he gets himself punched again trying to make me look better. "The band members came out after the show and signed autographs for the fans. After that… Edward… he asked me to go on the rides with him, show him around the park.

"Nothing that happened after that was planned. It just… happened," I shrug, begging him with my eyes to understand.

"I didn't raise you to spread your legs for the first boy who looked at you!"

"Watch how you talk to her!" Edward shouts. "You had it right the first time — it's my fault. Everything that happened is because I initiated it."

"And I didn't say no," I add quietly.

Dad stands up from the chair suddenly and Edward moves to protect me. Instead of coming near either of us, Dad disappears into the kitchen. When he returns, he's holding a can of his favorite Vitamin R beer — though it's not even close to noon yet.

"I know you took Sex Ed in school, Isabella; I signed the permission slip. How did," he waves his hand back and forth, "_This_ happen?"

I shrug, really not wanting to admit that Edward didn't use a condom. "Sometimes things just happen," I reply helplessly. I mean, all birth control can fail, right?

"How long have you known?"

"That I'm pregnant?" He nods. "I… the first time I got sick was Fourth of July, remember? It happened a few times the next week, then I was fine for the next week and a half. But then my morning sickness came back with a vengeance. I woke up puking every single day and I just knew. I didn't get it confirmed though until I got to Chicago and took a pregnancy test."

"You knew last summer and you didn't tell me?" he asks, hurt clouding his voice.

I nod slowly. "I… I was afraid to tell you," I whisper. "And I… I wasn't planning to have the baby."

"You were going to get an abortion?" he asks in shock.

"Yes," I whisper. "The New Moons were still on tour until October and I didn't know how to find Edward. But then I heard that they were in Chicago for a few days, filming a music video. I was able to talk to him, and… and he asked me to keep the baby. He promised to help with anything I need, so… I agreed. I'd never really wanted an abortion."

There is no way I'm going to tell Dad that Edward initially rejected me, not if I don't want to get him punched again — or worse.

"Didn't you learn anything from the way your mom and I struggled? How are you supposed to finish school while taking care of a baby? I sure as hell wouldn't rely on _him_ to help you."

"I'm not going to abandon her," Edward says angrily.

"Don't you… have to tour again or something?"

"Eventually," he admits. "My mom loves Bella and will help when she can. And I could afford to hire a nanny if that's what Bella wants."

"We'll make this work, Dad. I thought just like you when I first realized I was pregnant. I didn't think I could do it alone. But I'm not alone anymore."

"You should've had the abortion."

I gasp. "Do you wish Mom had had an abortion?"

He sighs, holding his head in his hand. "Bells…"

"I don't know what's happened to my little girl," he continues sadly. "First you go off and do something completely out of character, then you deliberately hide something important from me. We talk on the phone every week; you've had so many chances to tell me."

"Your little girl grew up, Dad. And she made a mistake," I admit, tears finally starting to fall. "I didn't know how to tell you. I knew you'd be hurt and upset and… I was afraid of your reaction. It turns out my fears were justified." I stop, shaking my head. "I want this baby though. _We_ want it. And I'm still going to finish school and realize all of my dreams. I'm not going to let this stop me."

Edward wraps his arm around me, pulling me close as he kisses my temple.

"What about the next time your boyfriend sees a pretty young fan? What then?" Dad sneers.

I swallow thickly, staring down at my lap. "We're not together," I whisper. "Edward is my friend and he's standing by me, but…"

"I told you, I won't abandon her," Edward adds through gritted teeth. "I'll be whatever she needs me to be."

"You should think about giving up the baby for adoption, Bells. Let someone who desperately wants a child have a chance… a married couple who can give your baby anything it needs."

I stare up at him in disbelief. "Don't you care at all for your first grandchild? Don't you even want to know if I'm having a girl or a boy? And what about me? What about what _I_ want?"

"Of course I care about you! But I want what is best for you — becoming a mom at 19 years old isn't it."

"With all due respect, Sir, Bella is an adult. It's her decision — not yours."

"I'm aware of that," Dad sighs. "I just think she's making the wrong decision relying on _you_ to get through this."

"Bella and our _daughter_ are important to me. She's the only one who needs to be able to trust me." My girly girl heart flies a little at his words.

I turn to look at him and he smiles at me, brushing my hair behind my ear. "_Do_ you trust me, baby?" he whispers.

"I know I can count on you to be there for me." It's all I can give him right now though. I still don't know if I can trust him with my heart.

Edward sighs, then leans his forehead against mine, kissing the side of my mouth.

"Where are your things?" Dad asks all of a sudden.

I reluctantly pull away from Edward to look at my father. "Back at the motel."

"Why don't you go get them and come back here? We can discuss this more later — alone."

"There's nothing more to discuss, Dad. I'm not going to change my mind."

"Bells… just — come back home… where you belong."

I look up into Edward's eyes, wondering what I should do. "Whatever you want, baby," he says.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So that's Charlie. Does he have any valid points? What should Bella do?

Kudos to **mommymac0508**, **quinzy**, and **AngeliqueMasen**, who correctly guessed that Edward took Bella's clothes off, innocently trying to get her more comfortable after she fell asleep.

Finally Bella got up the nerve to ask Edward when the last time was he was with another girl. What do you think of his 'answer'? Where do they go from here?

Next update on **Sunday**.


	36. Decisions

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! We're about to cross 4,000 reviews, which is unbelievable!

Most of you want Bella to run far away from Charlie!

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

* * *

><p><em>Chapter 36 — Decisions<em>

"I don't think I can stay here," I whisper to Edward. "Not when he… not when he can't respect that I know what I'm doing."

"Do you want to come back to Chicago with me tomorrow?" he whispers back. "I'm sure you can stay with us until your place is ready."

I look at him in shock. Leave my dad and go back to Chicago early? While I'll miss spending the next two weeks with my best friend, there's nothing else left for me in this town anymore besides far too many judgmental people.

"I'd like that," I confess.

He smiles a beautiful smile. "Are you ready then?"

Nodding, I let Edward help me to my feet. "Dad, I… I'm going to go back to Chicago with Edward. I can't be here, not until you can accept my decisions."

"Bells…"

"I'm sorry, Dad."

Edward helps me into my coat, then takes my hand in his. "No matter what you think, I'll take good care of Bella and our baby, Sir. I won't let them down." I can almost hear the unspoken _never again_.

Together we walk back to the entryway, and I follow Edward outside. I'm a little surprised that my dad isn't following us or trying to stop me.

"Are you really sure?" Edward asks as he opens the car door. "You can change your mind. But if you're staying in Forks, then so am I."

"I'm sure."

"Ok," he nods, helping me into the SUV.

When we reach the motel, we go inside to pack up our things. While Edward deals with the fact that I don't have a ticket for his flight tomorrow, I text Angela to let her know what happened and my phone rings almost immediately.

"_You're leaving?_" she whines when I answer.

"Yeah… I can't be in this town anymore."

"_At least let me see you one more time. You and Edward can come over for lunch._"

I laugh humorlessly. "And face your mother?" Mrs. Weber is a nice woman most of the time, but she most definitely qualifies as judgmental.

"_At least it won't be a shock to see you pregnant… she knew before I even got home last night._"

"Why I am not surprised?" I sigh. "We'll meet you for lunch, but I can't deal with another judgmental parent right now."

"_I understand,_" Angela says softly. "_How about I drive over there and we can walk to Pacific Pizza?_"

"Sounds good. See you in a few."

"What's the plan?" Edward asks when I hang up.

"Um… Angela is gonna meet us here and then we'll go to Pacific Pizza for lunch. Were you able to get me moved to your flight?"

"Yeah, but… there weren't any more seats available in First Class. I moved my seat to the back so we can sit together." I grimace a little bit at not being able to sit in one of those wide, comfy seats again. I'm spoiled already.

Edward takes our suitcases and my laptop bag out to the car, refusing to let me do any work. After one last check that we've got everything from our room, I step outside to wait for Angela while he goes to the office to check out.

"Hey," Angela calls, climbing out of her car. "I'm so sorry about your dad," she adds, hugging me as tightly as she can.

"Thanks… I at least thought he'd be happy about having a grandchild, you know? He didn't even ask if we're having a boy or girl."

She gives me a sympathetic smile.

"What did your mom say?"

Angela rolls her eyes. "Mostly she just wanted to know who the father was… and if this means I'm having sex, too. Oh, and my dad said he'd pray for you."

"Did you tell her?"

"About Edward? No. She'd heard we were with some guy at the diner, so…" She shrugs.

"Hey," Edward calls, jogging up to us.

"Hi, Edward," Angela greets him. "You two sure caused quite a stir yesterday."

"Fucking small town," he growls.

The three of us walk over to Pacific Pizza, heading to the counter to order, then find a table. Angela got a small pizza and the salad bar, so she goes to fill her plate first.

"I can't believe you're leaving," she says after sitting down.

"I know… I'm sorry."

"I don't really blame you though."

"I can't stay here, but… my dad isn't entirely wrong. I did behave out of character that night at the park. I mean, I'd like to think I'm not the type of girl to jump into bed with a guy I've just met." I pause, rolling my eyes. "And Dad's hurt that I kept this from him for so long."

"I think his reaction pretty much justified _why_ you kept it from him," Edward pipes up.

"I know he believes he has my best interests at heart, but he's never seen me as an adult, able to make my own decisions. I can't give my baby up for adoption!"

"He wants you to give it up?" Angela asks, sounding shocked. "Wow."

I nod. "He thinks I'm going to be like he and Mom were, and let this keep me from getting my degree. But I'm not going to let it."

After our food is dropped off, we all dig in and start eating. I was too nervous to eat very much this morning before going to see Dad.

"You said your Spring Break is the last full week in March?" Angela asks.

"Yeah."

"So is mine. Maybe I can fly to Chicago that week? I can't wait to meet my new little 'niece,'" she says with a smile.

"Sure, that sounds great," I agree.

"So where are you going to live next semester once you've had the baby?"

"Ask him," I reply, glowering at Edward.

"I told you — it's under control."

"Don't I get even a little hint?"

"It's near the school; that's all you need to know. The rest is a surprise."

"I don't like surprises," I grumble.

"Tough shit," he laughs. "Think of it as your Christmas present. You don't ask people to spoil those for you, do you?"

Ugh, why does he have to be so logical?

Once we've all finished eating, I stop in the restroom one more time, then we walk back over to the motel together. I hug Angela goodbye, then Edward helps me up into the SUV and we're on our way.

About three and a half hours later, we're returning the rental car at the Seattle airport. We take the free shuttle bus to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, where Edward had already booked a room for the night. After checking in, we take the elevator up to the seventh floor.

Our room isn't huge, but it's large compared to the one in Forks — modern, all decorated in cream and tan. A king-sized bed anchors the room, next to a large chair, almost large enough to be called a loveseat.

Of course I need to pee again, so I make a visit to the clean, modern bathroom. There's a large glass-enclosed shower that's totally big enough for two. I can't help staring at it, wondering what it would be like to shower _with_ Edward. Just the thought of his naked body with water droplets running down his torso to his…

"What's wrong?" he asks when I step back into the room.

"What? Nothing."

He narrows his eyes. "You're all flushed." Great, now I'm even _more_ embarrassed. I sit on the luxurious bed, toeing my shoes off, then lean back against two of the fluffy pillows.

"Comfy?" Edward asks, raising one eyebrow.

"I could get used to staying in nice hotels like this."

He smiles. "Stick with me and you can have whatever you want," he says softly. "Are you really ok with leaving your dad?"

I nod slowly. "He's my only family, and I don't want to lose him, but… I can't be around him until he learns to respect my decisions."

"Ok," Edward smiles, before getting up to use the bathroom himself.

"Do you want to go downtown?" he asks when he rejoins me. "We're apparently right by the Seattle light rail, so it's easy to get there. Or we can just eat in the hotel restaurant later. Whatever you want."

"I think I'd just rather stay here and relax."

"Ok," he nods. He stretches out beside me, closing his eyes and sighing. I reach down, brushing my fingers through his messy hair, and he opens one eye to stare up at me.

"I really am sorry for this morning," I tell him quietly. "Please don't be angry with me."

"I'm not angry with _you_, Bella. I'm angry with myself. It's my own actions that have caused you to doubt me. I fuck up everything I do."

"_No_, you don't. I think… most of the time, your heart's in the right place. Even coming along with me to tell Dad… It may have ended in disaster, but I admire that you wanted to stand beside me instead of taking the cowardly way out and letting me tell him alone."

He only scoffs a little, so I slide down, rolling onto my side and laying my head on his chest. I throw one arm over him and he reaches up, taking my hand in his.

We stay like that for a while, until Edward sighs, squeezing my hand. "I need a drink," he chuckles. "Want to go down to the bar?"

I sit up slowly, sliding to the edge of the bed. "Let me just go brush my hair." I find my toiletries bag in my suitcase, bringing it into the bathroom. When I've decided that I look presentable, I come out and try to wiggle my feet into my Chucks.

"You could ask for help," Edward says, bending down to untie my laces and then tie them again once my feet are in the shoes properly.

"It's getting hard to reach my feet," I complain. And I know it's only going to get worse over the next two months.

He picks up our room key card from the dresser, then takes my hand, leading me to the door and down the hall to the elevator bank. When the elevator arrives, we step inside and an elderly woman who was already on it smiles at me. "When are you due, honey?"

"February."

"Girl or boy?"

"It's a girl," Edward answers her with a smile. I'm too choked up by the fact that this perfect stranger seems to care more than my own father.

"Oh, how sweet! Congratulations."

"Thank you," I reply as we step off the elevator.

We find the lounge easily, choosing a high-topped table with two chairs. Edward orders a beer from our waitress while I get a Shirley Temple, so I can least _feel_ like I'm drinking with him.

As we wait for our drinks, Edward pulls out his phone. "I should probably tell Mom I'm bringing you home with me tomorrow."

I laugh. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea. Are you really sure she'll be ok with it? And Carlisle?"

"Yeah, sure, why wouldn't they be? They love you." I smile to myself; I'm so glad that Edward's family has accepted me. I don't know what I'd do if they had my dad's attitude.

"How long until my place is ready?" I ask when he puts his phone down.

"I get the keys on Thursday."

Our waitress drops off our drinks and I take a small sip of the pink concoction. Wow, that is sweet.

"Does it come with furniture?" I ask him. I really hope so; I don't want Edward to have to pay for that, too. I guess I have some extra money from what I won't be spending on next semester's room and board that I could use for furniture.

He gives me a strange look. "No. Mom's been gathering some ideas for furniture. I think she's a frustrated interior designer sometimes," he chuckles. "She decorated our house."

"Was it Carlisle's house from before they got married, or did they buy it together?" I ask curiously.

"It was his… and his late wife's. Mom needed to put her own spin on things and he was totally cool with that.

"Anyway, now that you'll be in Chicago, you can probably go furniture shopping with Mom this week. Otherwise, I think she was planning to email you ideas. And we really only need to paint the nursery."

"How come?"

"Because it's blue right now," he replies with a grin. "Seth is gonna paint it."

"Won't you at least tell me what street it's on?" I plead.

He laughs, shaking his head. "It's north of the interstate — that's all you get." I stick my tongue out at him.

When I finish the last of my drink, I pick up the maraschino cherry that's fallen to the bottom of the glass and pop it into my mouth, biting the fruit off the stem.

As I move to swallow it, I notice Edward staring at me, a glazed look on his face. "I probably don't want to know, right?"

"Probably not," he snickers.

"Are you ready to go eat?"

"Give me a minute," he replies in a strained voice. And then it hits me what he was probably thinking.

"You're such a perv sometimes."

He grins back, shaking his head. "It's called being a guy."

When he's finally ready, we stand up, moving to the hotel restaurant, where we're shown to a booth for two. Thankfully, it's larger than the booths at the diner.

Edward orders another beer with his meal, but I guess I can't complain since he isn't going to be driving anywhere until we land in Chicago tomorrow afternoon.

"Do you guys stay in hotels like this a lot?" I ask, looking around the restaurant.

He shrugs. "If we've got a show every night, we sleep on the bus as we drive between cities, but if we're in a city for a few nights, then we'll get a hotel. With the first tour, we didn't stay in super nice hotels, but by the last one we'd made enough money for the record company that they put us up in nicer places."

Our waiter brings our food and it looks amazing, especially compared to the restaurants in Forks. I could get used to this, too — eating out at nice restaurants with Edward.

And that reminds me of the comment he made up in our room, that I could have whatever I want if I stick with him. Earlier he told my dad that he'd be whatever I need him to be. I can't help wondering exactly what he meant. Is he offering a romantic relationship if I want one? Or am I just hearing what I want to hear?

I need to put on my big girl panties and just _ask_ him when we get back to our room. Of course, maybe it'd be better to wait until we're back in Chicago. If I don't like the answer, I'm not going to want to share a bed with him after we talk!

"Do you want to split a dessert?" Edward asks when our plates are clean. We choose a New York style cheesecake with strawberries from the dessert tray, then I get up to use the bathroom while we're waiting.

As I walk back into the dining room, I stop short when I see a pretty young woman standing by our table. She's smiling down at Edward as she talks to him, then she puts her hand on his shoulder, rubbing it as she flirts openly with him. Edward smiles back, obviously eating up the attention, and my stomach falls to my feet.

He hasn't changed at all.

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><p><strong>AN:** In the immortal words of Homer Simpson, d'oh! Bella finally started putting together the little clues and hints from Edward. But is she jumping to the wrong conclusion at the end?

Anything else on your minds?

Next update on **Tuesday**. The Talk will happen!


	37. Talk

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! Seems like the vast majority think Bella is jumping to the wrong conclusion. Most of you are angry with her, but some think she's right to be so distrusting and don't understand being upset with her.

**Posting about 12 hours early for the beggars on ADF.**

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

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><p><em>Chapter 37 — Talk<em>

Tears prick at my eyes as I stare at the scene in front of me. Not half an hour ago, I was imagining that Edward was offering me a romantic relationship. Clearly, I was very, very wrong. All he wants from me is the same thing he wants from any other woman.

Finally, I force my feet to take one step forward and then another. By the time I'm halfway to Edward, I see the woman take a piece of paper, or something like that, from him and walk away. _His phone number?_

By the time I've reached our table, tears are streaming down my face and I feel like I can't breathe. When Edward sees me, he stands up, a horrified look on his oh-so-handsome face. "Bella…?" He reaches out toward me, but I rip my arm away from his grasp.

I try to speak, but I can't even form words. I shake my head, then dart away from him and out of the restaurant, nearly blinded by my tears. I just need to get away from him.

My breath is coming in pants as I try to remember which direction I need to go for the elevators. I turn in circles, looking for any sign of them. When I finally spot them, I hurry over there as fast as I can, pushing the UP arrow repeatedly until the door opens.

"Are you all right, Miss?" a bellhop asks as he steps out of the elevator, pushing a luggage cart. Still unable to speak, I nod, rushing inside as soon as my path is clear. I press the button for the seventh floor then lean against the wall in order to hold myself up, my tears falling faster than I can brush them away.

I rush out as soon as the doors open, stumbling down the hall. I'm nearly to our room when it hits me — Edward has the room key!

Deflated, I lean my head back against the wall next to the door to our room. Soon, my legs won't hold me up anymore, and I let myself slide down until I'm sitting on the floor, knees bent. I lean my elbows on my knees and rest my head in my hands, sobbing.

How could I have been so _stupid_ yet again? How could I fall so hard for him, knowing what he's like? How could I ever think that _I_ could be enough to make him happy?

"Jesus, Bella!" I hear Edward's panicked voice before I hear his footsteps running down the hall. I can barely make out the sound of him sliding the key card into the reader and opening the door.

When I feel his hands on my waist, I lash out, slapping blindly at any part of him that I can reach. Undaunted, he lifts me off the ground to my feet, all but dragging me inside the room when I refuse to move, still trying to get him off of me. I fight even harder after I hear the sound of the door closing.

"Stop it!" he finally shouts, his hands forming shackles around my wrists.

I open my eyes, feeling my lower lip quiver as I stare at him. "How could you?" I whisper, finally able to find words. "How…"

"How could I what? Sign an autograph for a fan?!" he yells. "Because that's what you saw, Bella! A fan who recognized me came over to the table and asked me to sign an autograph for her."

"But-but she was touching you, and—" I sob.

"She was flirting with me, yes," he replies slowly. "That doesn't mean I asked her to touch me. That doesn't mean I was interested in anything she was offering."

I continue to stare at him. Could I have it all wrong? Could he be innocent? How do I know he's telling the truth? He's told me before that he doesn't get recognized by fans outside of Chicago.

"And even if I _was_ interested," he continues, "I don't understand why you're so upset. You can't have it both ways, Bella!" he yells. "You don't want to be with me, but you don't want me to be with anyone else, either. If we're not together, then you don't get a say in my sex life. I can flirt with whomever I want!"

As the full force of his words hits me, I walk backwards, staggering a little, until I feel the back of my legs hit the side of the bed. I sit awkwardly, scooting away from the edge until I can bring my feet up and try to bury my face again. I can hardly breathe through my sobs. The thought of having to see the man I want with other women — I just can't.

I don't know how long I sit there crying before I feel the mattress dip as Edward sits beside me. He touches my chin, forcing my head up, then tenderly wipes my tears with a cool, wet rag. "You need to calm down, baby," he says gently. "Try and take deep breaths, ok?"

Squeezing my eyes closed, I try to remember how to breathe, try to will myself to relax. I know this can't be good for the baby; my blood pressure must be through the roof right now.

Edward hands me a tissue and I blow my nose as he holds the wet rag to my forehead. Finally he takes both items, setting them on the nightstand.

"Why were you so upset, baby?" Edward asks quietly, his lips nudging at my temple. One of his arms is around my back, anchoring me to him.

"I-I thought…"

I turn to look at him, seeing only concern in his eyes. "You thought what?" he prompts.

"Something you said earlier… I thought you were offering that we could try to be… more." I hope he understands what I mean; I can't bring myself to say the words out loud. Not now.

He sighs, closing his eyes as he runs his free hand through his hair. He opens them again, gazing deeply into my eyes as if he's looking for some kind of answer. "I was," he says softly. My eyes widen as I stare into his piercing green eyes.

"Is that something you would want?" he asks softly.

I continue to stare at him. My insides are screaming YES, but I'm terrified to put my heart on the line by admitting it to him. He tucks my hair behind my ear, his hand caressing my cheek again and again. It's so sweet and tender, I can't help but lean in to his touch.

I swallow thickly, forcing the words out. "I want it. I want _you_."

Edward closes his eyes, exhaling heavily as he leans his forehead against mine.

"I'm yours, baby."

A strangled squeak leaves my lips as I hear those words I've longed to hear.

"I think I've been yours since I first saw you in the audience watching me," he adds.

I pull away in stunned surprise, staring up at Edward. "But… but all of the other girls…" I mean, there were apparently only two after I found him in Chicago, but I don't even want to know how many there were in the prior three months. "If you wanted me, then how could you… Why wasn't I enough?" I ask, my voice cracking. "I don't understand, Edward."

He sighs, burying his face in his hands for a moment. "Will you let me try to explain?" When I nod, he moves away from me to lean against the headboard. I unfold my legs, leaving one knee on the bed as I turn to face him.

"I wasn't lying when I told you that I was getting tired of… sleeping around," he begins. "I could tell you weren't like all of the other girls who wanted my fame more than they wanted me. My night with you really did mean something to me. And Emmett was telling the truth when he said that I was kicking myself for not getting your phone number before you left our bus that night.

"I admit that it bruised my ego a bit when you turned down my offer to walk you back, but… I didn't mean the other things I said to you that day. I guess I just wanted to feel like less of an asshole by shifting some of the blame to you, but… _nothing_ was your fault. I never believed that you were just like the other girls, ok?"

I nod quietly, brushing away a few remaining tears.

"I thought I'd never see you again after you left, so… I went back to my old behavior over the summer. I'm not proud of that," he adds, swallowing thickly. "But then," he stops, sighing, "Then you showed up out of the blue, telling me that you were pregnant with my baby. I knew you were innocent, and it was bad enough that I took that away from you without a second thought, but… I got you pregnant! I pretty much ruined your life. I didn't deserve you; _you_ deserved so much better than me."

"Who are you to decide what I deserve?" I ask angrily. Seriously, who does he think he is? My dad?

He sighs, a rueful grin on his face. "As it turns out, I wasn't very good at it… staying away from you, I mean. I fucked that up, too. It's really no wonder that you thought I wanted something more than friendship and co-parenting with you. I _did_, even if I couldn't let myself have it. It's entirely my fault that you were getting mixed messages, even if it was never intentional."

My brow furrows as I try to understand what Edward is saying, that he's wanted me all along, but thought he didn't _deserve_ me. It's ridiculous, especially given that I told him I forgave him before he ever left to go back on tour.

"But the two girls…" I start.

"I didn't really want those two girls," he confesses, staring down at his hands. "I just wanted… I don't know, I wanted to believe that I didn't need you or something. Maybe I wanted to prove that I was as bad as I thought I was. I hadn't really been interested in any of the groupies, I'd been missing _you_, and I was going to see you in a couple of days, and… I was afraid I'd do something stupid… with you… if I didn't…" He shakes his head.

"You sabotaged yourself," I realize.

"Yeah, maybe," he nods. "After I… after the photo came out and I knew you'd seen it, I realized just how much I'd fucked up yet again. I'd hurt you badly, and I thought you'd never forgive me.

"It was the worst feeling in the world," he whispers, "Feeling like I'd lost you forever. And I knew then how stupid I'd been to not just give in and be selfish and take what I wanted — like I'd done the first time I met you. I tried to tell you, to _show_ you, how much I wanted you on Halloween, but I went about it all wrong and you shot me down pretty spectacularly."

I feel my face heat up at the memory of our hot kiss outside the bar that night. Was _that_ his declaration of his feelings? I'd thought he just wanted sex!

"But then somehow, miraculously, you let me back into your life," he continues. "I tried to make you see that I'd changed, that I cared for you… that we could be something good together. I tried to earn back your trust. And I could tell that you wanted me, too — at least physically. I thought I was making progress, but then…" He stops, swallowing hard.

"Then what?" I whisper.

"Then… you couldn't have been any more clear to that waitress and your dad that we weren't together — that I wasn't your boyfriend. You told me you didn't know how you could ever trust me. And I overheard what Angela said, when I was coming back from the men's room. 'I could never be with some guy who cheated on me, either.'" He stops, shaking his head. "That was worse than any punch, or slap, or knee to the balls."

"Edward, you missed what I said before that," I tell him softly, crawling on my knees over to him. His brow furrows as he looks at me, and I bring my hand to his scruffy jaw so that he's looking me in the eye. I want there to be no mistaking what I'm saying.

"I told Angela that I wanted to see if we could work as a couple — as long as you could be monogamous. I can't share you with other girls, Edward. I—"

"I don't _want_ other girls," he growls. "I told you that back on Halloween."

"No, you didn't," I disagree. "All I heard you say was that you didn't want _her_, that one particular girl who was hitting on you in the bar. And what I tried to tell _you_ that night was that I wouldn't be one of your whores… one of your _harem_. I want to be your one and only."

"You _are_, baby," he pleads.

"We've never defined our relationship," I whisper. "You didn't ever call me your girlfriend. I… I wanted to believe we were dating, but… I was afraid of getting hurt again if _you_ didn't think so."

He chuckles and I give him a questioning look. "I was waiting for you to give me some sort of sign that you wanted more — that you wouldn't slap me again if I tried anything. And you were apparently waiting for me to stop being such a pussy and tell you how I feel."

I smile a little, understanding now what's so funny. We're both fucking idiots.

"Just so we're on the same page," he begins, pulling me closer until I'm straddling his legs. "Isabella Swan, would you be my girlfriend?"

I stare into Edward's green, green eyes, seeing nothing but openness and honesty. He's offering me everything I've wanted; I just need to trust him.

Gently, he takes my face in his hands, his thumbs caressing my cheeks. "I can't promise you that I won't somehow fuck up again — because I seem to be really good at that — but I will _never_ cheat on you, Bella. You're the only one I want. What do I have to do to make you believe that?"

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><p><strong>AN:** Merry Christmas! :)

Curious how many of you realized he'd sort of New Mooned her for her own good? There was one initially, but I think there were a few more eventually.

Next update on **Friday **unless you all tell me you will be able to read and review on Thursday.


	38. Promise

**Author Note:** Thanks for the continuing great response to this story! There were 181 reviews for the last chapter, mostly from happy readers who said either "finally" or congratulated Bella and Edward on getting their heads out of their asses/nether regions/hineys.

**Answering a Guest reviewer who was confused by Edward's explanation: **In Chapter 19, Edward got defensive when Bella accused him of not being able to keep it in his pants, and blurted out about how 22-year-old guys are supposed to be out sowing their wild oats. He never actually said that's what he wanted or planned to continue doing. When he came back in Chapter 20 with his rehearsed apology, he apologized that his behavior led her on, but never said he didn't want her. She certainly took it to mean that though. His "what-the-fuck have I done" moment came after Baby Girl kicked him. Bella could barely looked at him and he realized all that he could be losing. He didn't mean that he had any kind of epiphany the exact moment he realized she'd seen the photo. It took him another week.

Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.

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><p><em>Chapter 38 — Promise<em>

As I stare into Edward's eyes, I think about how sweet he can be sometimes, how protective he can be. That boy wouldn't lie to me — my heart is safe with him.

"Please, Bella," he begs. "I'll do anything to get you to trust me again."

"Just kiss me," I whisper.

He smiles. "If I kiss you, I'm not stopping." He says that like it's a warning, but to me, it's a promise.

"Maybe I don't want you to stop."

Now his grin is bordering on a smirk. "Say you'll be mine and you can have anything you want."

"Yes, Edward," I whisper, winding my arms around his neck as I scoot as close to him as my stomach will allow, "I will be your girlfriend."

His answering smile could light up the sky.

Still holding my face, he pulls me closer, until we're barely an inch apart. "Kiss me," I whisper.

The words are barely out of my mouth before his lips are on mine, softly sucking on my bottom one. He opens his mouth and I feel his tongue peek out as he presses against me with steadily increasing pressure. I open for him, letting his tongue gently explore.

I break away from him when I need air, but his lips never leave my skin, traveling along my jaw and my neck. He's all wet kisses and licks and gentle sucking and I feel like nothing matters but this.

"Can I touch you?" he whispers, and I nod helplessly. His hands touch the bare skin near what's left of my waist and the sensation is almost too much. I tug on his hair until he brings his mouth back to mine, finally letting my own tongue explore.

I can feel Edward gathering the soft knit of my sweater in his hands before he begins dragging it upward, exposing my skin inch by inch. Part of me wants to tug it back down, embarrassed for him to see the new stretch marks marring my stomach, but I know he probably already saw them last night.

"Lift your arms," he whispers, his lips touching mine with each word. I obey wordlessly and the moment the fabric is out of the way, his mouth is on my neck, leaving a trail of wet kisses down to the top of my breasts while his hands caress every inch of bare skin he can reach.

He unsnaps my bra, tugging the straps down my arms, before putting those magic lips over my left nipple. I let out an embarrassing whimper because it's just so good, the way his lips and tongue leave it hard and wanting.

He switches sides and I shamelessly hold his head to my chest, running my fingers through his soft hair while his mouth drives me crazy. If I thought I wanted him the first time he did this, it's nothing compared to how much I want him now.

"Edward," I moan. "Please…" I don't even know what I'm pleading for besides _more_.

Suddenly he pulls away, reaching behind his back with one hand and tugging his shirt off. His mouth claims mine again and the feeling of his bare skin pressed up against mine is incredible.

"Off," he mumbles, his hands at the waistband of my leggings.

I don't feel any trace of embarrassment as I scoot back and away from Edward just far enough that I can tug my pants down. As soon as they're gone, I quickly climb back onto his lap. I reach to kiss him again, but he's too busy staring down at me.

"Fuck, those are sexy," he groans in a husky voice. My brow furrows for a moment before I remember that I'm wearing the black lace panties he'd picked out. His hands move to my backside, rubbing over the lace, then come around to caress my stomach.

"This is sexy, too — _mine_," he growls.

"It's huge and… starting to look like a road map!" I protest.

"No," he shakes his head. "It's beautiful. You're beautiful."

He smirks then, looking me in the eye as if daring me to stop him when one hand sneaks beneath the lace, moving down, down, down until I'm gasping from the feeling of the fingers right where I need him.

"Fuck, you are so wet, baby," he says, almost in awe. His left hand pulls me close enough that he can kiss me again while his right hand continues to touch me. One finger circles my clit over and over before I feel him pushing it gently inside me. He brushes it in and out a few times before adding a second finger.

His thumb presses against me as he begins pumping his fingers faster and faster. All I can do is cling to him, breathing into his neck. His other hand is squeezing my breast while his lips suck at that spot on my shoulder that drives me crazy.

"Please… oh God…" It's too much, the combined sensations. I'm so, so close to tipping over the edge. "Edward…"

"Let go, baby," he whispers in my ear, sucking my earlobe into his mouth.

Suddenly I'm flying, crying out nonsensical words as I come so hard I see stars. His fingers slow, but don't stop until I finally stop shuddering. I cling tightly to Edward until I feel him move his hand out of my panties, then watch as he smirks at me before sucking his fingers into his mouth.

"Did I make you come?" he asks proudly.

Exhausted, I slap at his arm. "You know you did."

"Say, 'Edward is the best'."

I roll my eyes. "Edward has a big ego."

"Come on… say it," he begs with a smile, his arms holding me close. "Edward is the best. Say it and I'll use my tongue next time." My eyes widen a little and he laughs. "Oh yeah, you remember that," he adds with a wink.

_Shit._ I most certainly do.

"Edward is the best," I repeat as if grudgingly… but really, I can't imagine anyone could be better. I don't want to; and then it hits me — _I don't have to_.

He's really mine.

Breaking out into a huge grin, he bends forward to plant two smacking kisses on my lips, then brings me with him as he scoots down to lie on the bed. I roll off of him onto my side, and he moves his hand around the back of my neck to pull my mouth back to his.

We trade unhurried, soft kisses until Edward grabs hold of my leg, hitching it over his hip. I feel his erection beneath my thigh and pull away.

"What about you?" I ask, panting.

He shrugs. "I need to prove to you that I don't just want you for sex."

"But doesn't that… hurt?" I wave vaguely toward his groin.

"It's uncomfortable," he laughs. "Doesn't hurt."

"What if I want to touch you?" I whisper.

Edward gazes intently at me for a few moments, then reaches down to open his pants, though he doesn't attempt to take them off. He rolls partially onto his back then spreads his arms like wings.

"Have at it," he grins.

I look down at the… buffet in front of me. Edward seriously has an incredible body. _And it's all for me._ I can hardly contain my giddiness. Seven months ago, I would dream of him, never imagining that I'd ever even get to meet him. Even after our one night together, I never expected to see him again.

"When you told Angela yesterday that I got that lucky, you didn't just mean because we slept together, right?"

His brow furrows for a moment, before he gives me a soft smile. "No, I didn't just mean that; you've captured me, Bella. I'm yours."

I smile, feeling myself blush at his words. "So I can really touch you?"

"Do whatever you want with me, baby."

Slowly, I reach out one hand, brushing it through his sparse chest hair. I trail my fingers down over his abs, circling his belly button, then follow the reddish brown hair as it disappears underneath his waistband.

The more I touch him, the more I want to know what his skin _tastes_ like. I lean down, placing a soft kiss over his stomach, darting my tongue out as I watch his abs contract. Chancing a look at his face, I see his eyes hooded with lust.

My eyes catch the sparkle from his nipple ring and I can't resist it anymore. Reaching my hand up, I slide one finger under the ring, tugging very lightly.

"_Fuck_," he moans, and it spurs me on. Leaning forward, I close my lips around the silver ring, startled when one of his hands comes around the back of my head, not letting me move away. I suck lightly, peeking up at his face again to see his eyes closed in pleasure.

_Me._ I did that.

I trail one hand back down and inside the open fly of his jeans, tracing my finger along his fabric-covered cock.

"You're killing me, Bella," he growls.

I release the ring with a pop, smiling up at him. "Do you want to take your jeans off?" I ask.

Edward shoves them down past his hips within seconds, scrambling to sit up so that he can pull them all the way off. He quickly lies down again, grinning at me. "Continue."

Gently, I wrap my hand around his cock. Even through the fabric, it feels so warm in my hand. Not to mention huge. I'd forgotten how big it is.

Getting up to my knees, I scoot down the bed a little bit, grasping the sides of his boxer briefs and pulling them down. I involuntarily lick my lips as his cock is revealed. I remove his underwear, then lie down again so I can have a closer look.

I mean, it's not like I got to study it up close the first time. I cannot believe this thing fit inside me. No wonder it hurt!

I trace my finger along the thick veins, then around the edge of the mushroom-shaped head, brushing my thumb across the slit right on top as I grasp it lightly in my hand. Moving back down toward the base, I touch one of his balls then roll it in my hand.

I sort of… pet… his cock, for lack of a better word, fascinated by the way it seems to twitch when I do that.

"Baby, fuck, stop teasing me," he begs.

"Sorry," I grin sheepishly, looking up at him. I take his cock in my hand, moving my hand up and down like he'd showed me. With one hand, he reaches out to pull me closer so that he can kiss me.

At some point, he stills my hand, bringing it up to my mouth. "You need lube if you're gonna keep doing that. Lick it."

"My hand?"

"Unless you'd rather lick my cock," he winks. My eyes widen, probably comically wide. I'm well aware that Edward has gotten blowjobs from other girls, but… I'm not sure I'm ready to do that. Not yet.

Instead, I lick my hand a few times, then wrap it back around his cock. Edward shows me the amount of pressure he wants, then removes his hand from mine. He kisses me again, his tongue exploring, and I do my best to keep up the motion of my hand just like he needs. Every few passes I brush my thumb over the head, and I start to notice a little bit of fluid leaking out.

Edward pulls away from my mouth, groaning, so I lean down to suck on his nipple ring again. "Oh God," he moans. "Getting close, baby."

I move my hand a little faster, loving the little moans and whimpers he's making. "Fuck, squeeze a little harder," he begs, and I do. "Just like that."

I lift my head, watching his face, watching what I'm doing to him. "Fuuuuuuck," he groans, squeezing his eyes closed.

I look down, just as hot streams of white fluid come squirting out, landing all over his stomach. When he seems to be spent, I slow down, finally moving my hand away.

"Best fucking hand job ever," he groans.

I scoff; I'm sure it's not, but it's nice that he said it.

"It was," he says softly. "Because it's you."

I smile, getting up on my knees as I look down at the mess on his stomach. Curious, I dip my pinky finger in his cum, bringing it up to my mouth. I take a tiny lick, my face scrunching up at the taste — it's horrible.

"Baby, you're gonna get me hard again doing that."

I grin at him. "Just curious." When I'm ready to give him a blowjob, I don't think I'll swallow.

Edward stretches over toward the nightstand, picking up the wet rag he'd discarded earlier to wipe his stomach. With a sigh, he sits up, pulling me toward him for a kiss.

"Gonna get ready for bed," he says, picking up his underwear as he moves toward the bathroom.

While he's gone, I dig my pajamas out and put them on, then try to find where all of our clothes have ended up, tossing them onto our respective suitcases.

When Edward comes out of the bathroom in just his tight boxer briefs, he walks straight up to me, grasping my face as he kisses me over and over. He grins when he finally pulls away.

"What was that for?" I ask.

"Because I can," he shrugs. Shaking my head, I go into the bathroom for my nightly routine. As I wash my face, I try not to look at my red eyes and splotchy skin in the mirror. I don't know _how_ Edward could be attracted to me right now.

When I come out, he's lying under the covers, messing with his phone. "Our flight leaves at 8:50am, so I'll set the alarm for six, ok?"

"Ok," I agree, watching as he sets the phone down on the nightstand and turns out the light.

Sliding into bed, I immediately turn to face Edward, not protesting at all when he starts kissing me again. I really do like his kisses.

"Edward," I warn as he begins sucking on my neck.

"Hmmm?"

"We need to get some sleep."

"Not done kissing you yet," he mumbles. I can't help smiling.

"You can kiss me when we don't have to get up early."

He comes back to my mouth, kissing me three more times before bringing his hand up to rub my cheek. "Is this real?" he whispers. Shouldn't I be the one asking that question? I'm the girl whose new _boyfriend_ is Edward Masen! "You're not gonna hate me in the morning? Or figure out I'm not good enough for you?"

"I promise I won't."

I settle in with my head under Edward's chin and his arms around me. For the first time, I realize how _safe_ I feel with him. I know he'd never let anything happen to me — or our baby. Everything's going to be just fine; I can feel it.

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><p><strong>AN:** The End.

Just kidding! Several people have asked me how much longer this is. All I can tell you is that I'm writing Chapter 70 now, which takes place in mid-March, so we're probably not quite halfway through. There's a lot more to their story, as Bella deals with being in a relationship with a rock star and later, our crazy kids figure out how to be parents!

Next update on **Tuesday**. I'm going to let readers get caught up and try to take advantage of my long weekend to get more of this prewritten, so that eventually I _can_ tell you how many chapters it'll be!


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